Australia has a remarkable avifauna. Of the 760 species, around 240 are endemic, making this country second only to New Guinea in terms of avian endemism. This field guide, now in its seventh edition, has long been the standard reference for the birds of Australia, and this edition has been extensively revised and updated. There are 20 new plates, and a new distribution map for each species showing subspecies distribution where appropriate. Over 1000 black and white illustrations, many new or redrawn, illustrate behaviours, flight silhouettes, detailed comparisons between related species and other useful identification pointers. This classic work has sold over 400,000 copies in its lifetime, and remains the definitive guide for this country.
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About the Author
Ken Simpson is an experienced zoologist with a particular interest in Australian wildlife. His other books include Birdwatching in Australia and New Zealand, and Birds in Bass Strait. Nicolas Day has been a wildlife artist since 1977 and his artwork has featured in several field guides. He also conducts natural history art classes around Australia.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
22 of 22 people found the following review helpful
This guide covers all the bird species known to occur in Australia - not an easy task in a continent with as rich an aviafauna.
I found it very good - the illustrations are excellent quality and often cover distinctive subspecies separately.
The maps, conveniently placed opposite the illustrations also show boundaries of the various subspecies' distribution - something few field guides seem to bother with!
All the essential information about appearence, size, voice and habitat is also found along with the maps right opposite the pictures.
These pages make up the bulk of the book, followed by a "Vagrant Bird Bulletin", breeding information, checklists for off-shore island territories and excellent lists of local oganisations and recommended further reading - complete with the competing field guides!
Once you remove the color cover, the book is bound in a sturdy but flexible plastic one - making it ideal for carrying in the field without getting it torn or soaked.
All in all, this is an excellent book that served me very well on my first trip in Australia.
However, on the latest one I have used Morcombe's Field Guide to Australian Birds: Complete Compact Edition which, incredibly, manages to be even better - check it out!
I found it very good - the illustrations are excellent quality and often cover distinctive subspecies separately.
The maps, conveniently placed opposite the illustrations also show boundaries of the various subspecies' distribution - something few field guides seem to bother with!
All the essential information about appearence, size, voice and habitat is also found along with the maps right opposite the pictures.
These pages make up the bulk of the book, followed by a "Vagrant Bird Bulletin", breeding information, checklists for off-shore island territories and excellent lists of local oganisations and recommended further reading - complete with the competing field guides!
Once you remove the color cover, the book is bound in a sturdy but flexible plastic one - making it ideal for carrying in the field without getting it torn or soaked.
All in all, this is an excellent book that served me very well on my first trip in Australia.
However, on the latest one I have used Morcombe's Field Guide to Australian Birds: Complete Compact Edition which, incredibly, manages to be even better - check it out!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Living up to the extraordinary reputation of Helm Bird Guide productions, this one doesn't disappoint. Very good coverage of all the species, first class illustrations, nice layout with maps and text opposite the pictures. I used it in the field with excellent results, and would not hesitate to recommend it to anyone visiting the antipodes.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4.5 out of 5 stars
2 reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Non Fiction
2 Sep 2007
By Blue Tyson
- Published on Amazon.com
A large size and scale reference work about the avian life of our country. It does also include a section about the blow-ins and transients that appear from time to time, so that is helpful. Broken down by family, this reference book is an excellent guide, and has worked for me many times. Well worth it.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Inexpensive version of the Princeton field guide
3 Mar 2010
By Sabad One
- Published on Amazon.com
I haven't had a chance to use this guide in the field yet (unfortunately...) but the book looks excellent. The format of this guide is standard: birds are drawn in color full-page tables while maps and descriptive features to help identification are presented separately. The artwork is very good, although not as outstanding as, say, Jonsson or Svensson et al's Birds of Europe.
Something useful to keep in mind is that this volume is the very same field guide (and the same edition, the 7th) published by the same two authors as a Princeton Field Guide. Apparently the Princeton guide has become a collector's item and at time of writing this review it sells for $400 or more. If you don't care about the publisher but you are just looking for a very good field guide to the birds of Australia, I would definitely purchase the Helm edition, which you can purchase from several booksellers via Amazon. Just keep in mind that most copies will ship from the UK, so you will likely receive the book in a couple of weeks (so don't order it a week before your one-in-a-lifetime trip to Australia!!!).
Something useful to keep in mind is that this volume is the very same field guide (and the same edition, the 7th) published by the same two authors as a Princeton Field Guide. Apparently the Princeton guide has become a collector's item and at time of writing this review it sells for $400 or more. If you don't care about the publisher but you are just looking for a very good field guide to the birds of Australia, I would definitely purchase the Helm edition, which you can purchase from several booksellers via Amazon. Just keep in mind that most copies will ship from the UK, so you will likely receive the book in a couple of weeks (so don't order it a week before your one-in-a-lifetime trip to Australia!!!).
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4.5 out of 5 stars
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