Bird: The Definitive Visual Guide

The diversity and drama of the bird world brought to breathtaking life in an encyclopedic new edition

Unrivaled in scope for a single-volume reference work, this photographic guide to every bird order and family profiles more than 1,400 species, pictured in their native environment by photographers around the globe. Authoritative, comprehensive, and completely up to date, this reference was produced and revised by a team of expert contributors and in partnership with the leading avian authorities Birdlife International and Audubon.

Bird's photographic catalog showcases birds from hummingbirds to monkey-eating eagles, each with a photograph, description, three-color distribution map, and data file. Organized in taxonomic order, the catalog has detailed introductions to every bird order. The perching birds alone, making the largest order, occupy 158 pages; and most of their families, such as larks or tanagers, also have their own introductions. Nearly 100 further pages focus in vivid detail on bird biology--their flight, anatomy, feeding, communication, breeding, habitat, migrations, life cycles, and the many habitats they live in. All this, and special features on the world's most impressive birdwatching locations, make this "A must-have reference for every bird enthusiast" (BBC Wildlife Magazine).

Birdlife International (consultant) is a global partnership of conservation organizations that strives to conserve birds, their habitats, and global biodiversity. It forms the leading authority on the status of birds and the issues affecting them. Its aims include preventing extinction and enhancing and enlarging sites and habitats important for birds.

Audubon (consultant) is a conservation society whose mission is to conserve and restore natural ecosystems, focusing on birds, other wildlife, and their habitats for the benefit of humanity and the Earth's biological diversity. Through its education, science, and public policy initiatives, Audubon engages people throughout the US and Latin America in conservation.