- Paperback: 301 pages
- Publisher: Collins; illustrated edition edition (29 Nov 1995)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0002199378
- ISBN-13: 978-0002199377
- Product Dimensions: 19.2 x 12.2 x 2.2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 846,447 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Product Description
East Africa is one of the only places in the world where it is possible to see over 200 species of bird in one day. This richness has attracted bird watchers from the four corners of the world and has made Kenya and Tanzania the most popular wildlife tourist spots in the world. This book illustrates and describes every species of bird found in the area. The text details what kind of habitat the birds are found in, key identification features and notes on the calls and songs of each species. Maps are also included for every species to show where the species occurs in the area.
From the Back Cover
COLLINS ILLUSTRATED CHECKLIST
BIRDS OF EASTERN AFRICA
COMPREHENSIVE
EASY TO USE • HIGHLY ILLUSTRATED
• The only field guide to illustrate every bird species you will see in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, Somalia and Socotra Island.
• 1487 species are illustrated in colour. For many species the female or juvenile is shown in addition to the adult male. Any races or colour forms have also been included.
• Informative notes on each species are conveniently placed opposite the illustrations. The text describes key identification features, the bird's usual habitat and the sound it makes.
• Each species has a map showing where it can be found and how common it is.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I took this book with me for a two week family holiday in Kenya where I visited Tsavo game parks, coastal regions and also went on a bush walk near Mombasa. As a beginner to African birds I found the illustrations and brief descriptions very helpful and in some cases it was superior to the larger reference books that I had studied before I went. It is light and compact for carrying in a map pocket or similar and the paper and binding has stood up well to the sweat and constant thumbing through. Although some names of birds may be unfamiliar to seasoned birders the general layout and classifications fit an established pattern and the index of Latin names helped with other identifications. Some juvenile plumages are shown and the call descriptions are very good. My only problem was that some birds are shown bigger than others when in reality they are smaller. Not an easy thing to sort out when bouncing in the back of a safari bus.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
In 1995 the first edition of this guide received mixed reviews. In many ways it was a step forward, providing a pocket-sized volume that illustrated 1487 species - not just from Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, but also Ethiopia, Somalia, Djibouti and Socotra. However cramming up to 25 species on each relatively small page was never going to allow enough detail for this book to have a major impact, particularly when Birds of Kenya and Northern Tanzania by Dale Zimmerman et al was due to arrive just a few months later. Where the Collins guide did add value was in illustrating a significant number of species that other books ignored - such as those found in Ethiopia and neighbouring countries. It was perhaps for that uniqueness that many people bought it.
So after 14 years Collins have now decided to reissue this guide and there is an opportunity to update the text, the maps and illustrations and add in any new species that have occurred since the early 1990s. Unfortunately Collins have chosen not to alter any of the 96 plates even though there are a number of errors that have been identified. I find it amazing that they have decided to recognize these errors by referring to them in the text but not by correcting them on the plates! There are around twenty such notes in the updated text. Some are relatively minor errors such as the wrong eye colour (although surely easy to correct?), but others are more significant. For me it is simply not acceptable to reissue a field guide with illustrations that are known to be wrong. Take Grey Apalis Apalis cinerea as an example - the text reads "Upperparts all very dark brown, mantle slightly more grey (no buff-brown plumage parts as wrongly shown on plate)." There are plenty of such examples.
Taxonomy and nomenclature in the first edition followed early volumes of The Birds of Africa (itself sometimes at odds with modern thinking). With this new edition a number of names have been adjusted to reflect recent changes - for example some Serins are now Seedeaters or Canaries. Herring Gull Larus argentatus was listed originally and this has now been changed to Heuglin's Gull Larus heuglini, but is still described as Larus argentatus. It is shown with pink legs rather than green - another error that is mentioned in the text. Also this is still the only book I have that uses the name Sylvietta for what most people call a Crombec.
A number of species have been added to the East African list since the early 1990s but these have not been included. Similarly the discovery of Karamoja Apalis Apalis karamojae in the Masai Mara, Kenya is not mentioned. There are other examples where new information on distribution has been ignored. The first edition overlooked Southern Blue Waxbill Uraeginthus angolensis which breeds in Southern Tanzania. Now it is mentioned in the text but no illustration of it has been added.
For many people the value of the first edition was that it was the only modern field guide to include all the birds found in Ethiopia. Any time now Birds of The Horn of Africa will be published and that will become the book to take to Ethiopia. As a result this Collins guide has lost its uniqueness, and now with heavier guides appearing in softback the advantage of its light weight has been reduced too.
So after 14 years Collins have now decided to reissue this guide and there is an opportunity to update the text, the maps and illustrations and add in any new species that have occurred since the early 1990s. Unfortunately Collins have chosen not to alter any of the 96 plates even though there are a number of errors that have been identified. I find it amazing that they have decided to recognize these errors by referring to them in the text but not by correcting them on the plates! There are around twenty such notes in the updated text. Some are relatively minor errors such as the wrong eye colour (although surely easy to correct?), but others are more significant. For me it is simply not acceptable to reissue a field guide with illustrations that are known to be wrong. Take Grey Apalis Apalis cinerea as an example - the text reads "Upperparts all very dark brown, mantle slightly more grey (no buff-brown plumage parts as wrongly shown on plate)." There are plenty of such examples.
Taxonomy and nomenclature in the first edition followed early volumes of The Birds of Africa (itself sometimes at odds with modern thinking). With this new edition a number of names have been adjusted to reflect recent changes - for example some Serins are now Seedeaters or Canaries. Herring Gull Larus argentatus was listed originally and this has now been changed to Heuglin's Gull Larus heuglini, but is still described as Larus argentatus. It is shown with pink legs rather than green - another error that is mentioned in the text. Also this is still the only book I have that uses the name Sylvietta for what most people call a Crombec.
A number of species have been added to the East African list since the early 1990s but these have not been included. Similarly the discovery of Karamoja Apalis Apalis karamojae in the Masai Mara, Kenya is not mentioned. There are other examples where new information on distribution has been ignored. The first edition overlooked Southern Blue Waxbill Uraeginthus angolensis which breeds in Southern Tanzania. Now it is mentioned in the text but no illustration of it has been added.
For many people the value of the first edition was that it was the only modern field guide to include all the birds found in Ethiopia. Any time now Birds of The Horn of Africa will be published and that will become the book to take to Ethiopia. As a result this Collins guide has lost its uniqueness, and now with heavier guides appearing in softback the advantage of its light weight has been reduced too.
15 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I visited Ethiopia for two months and covered a lot of ground on foot. The size of the guide made it possible to take everywhere when weight was at a premium. The book was designed to be compact for this, i think , so in many respects was lacking in information such as views of birds in flight, and eclipse plumages of whydahs and widowbirds. Some information on calls was missing for some Ethiopian endemics but I assume that this was due to them not being known to the author. Some pictures were also misleading such as in the eye colour of abbysinian slaty flycatcher ,which is pale, and the honeyguides are difficult also. But overall made it possible for a novice african birder to enjoy the trip immensely. I still look at the book to see what I missed and plan a return trip.
Because of the extra concise nature of this book, i would recommend that its use is supplemented by the larger 'Birds of east Africa' which, in the case of Ethiopia, contains more information on most of the birds found here but would be very difficult to carry when trekking. The book still enabled identification of over 300 species in 2 months of travelling, and is essential to a birder to this country of incredible diversity such as 12 nightjars, 20 starlings, as many doves , 6 endemic serins and 6 hornbills to name but a few!
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