Birds of Africa South of the Sahara: A Comprehensive Illustrated Field Guide [Paperback]

Ian Sinclair (Author), Peter Ryan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 15, 2008

Birds of Africa South of the Sahara provides unrivalled coverage of African birds in a single volume, and is the first book to describe and illustrate all of the birds found in Africa south of the Sahara Desert (the Afrotropic Region), including Socotra, Pemba and islands in the Gulf of Guinea. * Some 2,105 species are covered, with an additional 70 vagrants briefly described, and more than 2,000 images assembled on 359 plates. * Illustrations portray most distinctive plumages, as well as diagnostic flight patterns and major geographic variants. * Species descriptions give precise identification features, highlighting differences between similar species, as well as briefly reporting habitat, status and calls. * Distribution maps for each species are based on the latest atlas surveys. * The most up-to-date taxonomy is used, with many new species described and illustrated for the first time. Despite its exceptional coverage, this guide is compact enough to use in the field, and follows the standard field guide format, with texts and range maps appearing opposite the color plates.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Ian Sinclair is renowned in African birding circles for his field knowledge and expertise in identifying the region s many bird species. His vast experience has been gained in expeditions to every corner of Africa, as well as to the Himalayas, Antarctica and Marion Island. He has authored or co-authored several successful bird books, including the hugely successful Field Guide to Birds of SA and the equally successful Birds of Southern Africa. Peter Ryan is a senior lecturer at the Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology at the University of Cape Town, a partner of 'Birding Africa' and a keen birder who has led numerous birding tours in southern Africa. A long-standing member of the SA Rarities Committee, his research interests include the evolutionary ecology of birds and island conservation. He is co-editor of the current revision of Roberts' Birds of Southern Africa. The text and most of the photographs of Kirstenbosch Birds are supplied by Peter Ryan.

Product Details

• Paperback: 712 pages
• Publisher: Random House Struik (October 15, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1868728579
• ISBN-13: 978-1868728572
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.7 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,248,486 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive & Well-Organized!, June 28, 2009

By 

Laszlo Wagner (Hungary) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Birds of Africa South of the Sahara: A Comprehensive Illustrated Field Guide (Paperback)

Though Amazon doesn't tell you so, this book is simply another version of the same title, earlier published by Princeton Field Guides - see more reviews posted there, if interested.

The book has taken on a monumental task by introducing the entire bird fauna of a huge region in one volume.
I was sceptical before seeing it, thinking that quantity would probably take priority over quality. It did not!
For a start, it is surprisingly detailed and well-organized. The editors have resisted the usual temptetion of cramming too many similar or small species on one page. Usually there are just 5-6 species on each page, sometimes 7 or just 3-4.
What this means is that illustrations are big enough to show detail, plus there are often 4 or more different illustrations for the same 1 species, showing different colour morphs, juveniles, females, birds in flight, head or wing details, etc.
It also means that the maps and text for each species could be placed on the page facing its picture.
The text itself is still amazingly detailed for a book of this scope, giving the essential information on distribution, appearence, habitat, status and voice.
Too good to be true? Well, some of the illustrations show important colour or pattern details wrongly, even contradicting description in the text - in these cases the text tends be more accurate, so have a look at that one, too!
But all in all, this book is a great value introduction to the bird fauna of Africa, though perhaps unsurprisingly, I found it a bit too bulky to carry on the field.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good guide, but very uneven artwork, March 2, 2010

By 

Sabad One - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Birds of Africa South of the Sahara: A Comprehensive Illustrated Field Guide (Paperback)

As other reviewers have pointed out, this is a very good birdwatching guide to the birds of sub-Saharan Africa. I don't know enough to evaluate the completeness or accuracy of the information (and unfortunately I have not been able to use the book yet), but the volume certainly looks well organized and easy to use and the maps and descriptions all look very well done and useful. The only reason why I only give this guide 4 stars is that the artwork is very uneven. As you can check yourself using the "look inside" option offered by Amazon, many of the tables (especially in the first part of the book) are done by someone who was no better than a skilled amateur. I do not expect all birdwatching guides to be done with the same mastery as Svensson et al's Birds of Europe, but it is a pity that the publisher did not have the means or the wit to sign up someone with better skills.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Birds of Africa south of the Sahara-field guide, March 28, 2009

By 

CW (Honolulu, HI, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Birds of Africa South of the Sahara: A Comprehensive Illustrated Field Guide (Paperback)

A wonderful book; illustrates in full color all species of birds found in Africa south of the Sahara (more than 2100 species are illustrated!). The best single-volume field guide to all species in Africa south of the Sahara. Anyone interested in birds should have this book in his/her book shelf.