A Guide to the Birds of Western Africa [Hardcover]

Ron Demey (Author), Nik Borrow (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 4, 2002

This is a major new guide covering the birds of all western African countries, from Senegal and southern Mauritania east to Chad and the Central African Republic and south to Congo. No other field guide covers this region exclusively and in such comprehensive depth.

A Guide to the Birds of Western Africa describes 1,285 species, representing the entire avifauna of the region. There are 147 original color plates, all painted by the same leading illustrator, comprising over 3,000 figures and depicting almost all the species described. The detailed species accounts cover all identification criteria, including differences between similar species, voice, habits, habitat, breeding, distribution, and status. The text also features color distribution maps for over 1,100 species, and numerous line drawings illustrate particular aspects of behavior and identification.

Both authors have gained extensive field experience over many years in western Africa. Their knowledge and expertise shines through in this outstanding guide to one of the world's most exciting birding regions.

• Comprehensive coverage of all 1,285 species found in the region
• 23 separate countries and territories covered
• Clear and authoritative text detailing differences between similar species, voice, habits, habitat, breeding, distribution, and status
• Over 3,000 original color illustrations, depicting all key plumages
• Concise plate captions summarizing key identification pointers
• Numerous line drawings illustrating specific aspects of identification and behavior
• More than 1,100 color distribution maps

Editorial Reviews

Review

This is surely the definitive handbook and guide to identification of Western Africa's birds, and is highly recommended for everyone from professional ornithologists to birders and armchair naturalists. -- Wildlife Activist



This is now the must-have reference for anyone interested in the birds of western Africa. . . . [It] is indispensable to any bird watcher visiting in the region. -- Eirik A. T. Blom, Bird Watcher's Digest



Invaluable for serious birders and scientists working in or visiting the area. It would also make an excellent addition to a collection of field guides for home or office use. -- Condor



Anyone with an interest in West African birds will want to own this book. We have been waiting for some considerable time for someone to produce a modern guide to West African birds, so Nik Borrow and Ron Demey are to be congratulated for completing the task admirably. . . . [A] splendid achievement. -- Stephen Rumsey, British Birds

From the Inside Flap

"This book is a comprehensive and practical guide to all the species of birds occurring in western Africa. It will become the standard identification guide, and will be useful to anyone interested in African wildlife, to biologists, to tourists wanting to know the identity of birds that they have seen in West Africa, and as a general reference to the region's birds."--Robert A. Cheke, author of Sunbirds

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 816 pages
• Publisher: Princeton University Press (February 4, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0691095205
• ISBN-13: 978-0691095202
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.4 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,708,180 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, but not a "field" guide., May 21, 2002

By 

Robert K. Furrer "Swissboy" (Sempach, Switzerland) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: A Guide to the Birds of Western Africa (Hardcover)

This new guide is a "must" for all those interested in African birds. For a field guide, however, it is just a considerable bit too heavy. But if previous guides (Kenya and Northern Tanzania, Indian Subcontinent) are any indication, we may expect a smaller version in due time. Meanwhile, let's just enjoy what has come out. The quality of the color plates varies considerably, but they all range from fairly good to excellent. They are all by the same artist which supposedly ought to guarantee for greater consistency. In this case, it certainly is not so. There are plates that are flat, others come to life vividly; there are plates with lots of blank space whereas others (especially the raptors) are crammed. However, all the plates are most useful, often giving flight pictures for different plumages as well. Overall, color renditions seem to be good, as well. But the Plain Swift on plate 63 should be lighter colored than the Common Swift, whereas it is depicted darker. This is, however just nitpicking when compared with all the faults and deplorable plates found in recent field guides for South America. Thus, once again, birders going to Africa can be envied for another excellent guide they now have available. The text has French names as well (including an index), a good feature in an region that is partly French speaking. The excellent range maps would be more helpful if they would be opposite the plates, but their inclusion in the text allowed for more details. In addition, the caption with the plates already gives a rough indication of the range.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Plates, April 7, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: A Guide to the Birds of Western Africa (Hardcover)

This book has to be an enormous improvement over the "old" guide to the birds of west Africa. In October & November of 2001 I used just the plates of this guide while in west Africa. They are fantastic. There are many views of each species, they are all in color, the citations are quite comprehensive and all plates are grouped together. This is the only book you will need in Western Africa - and I havn't even seen the text! But while using just the plates I was able to identify nearly every bird that I saw in one nation in the region.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I birded Ghana on my own with this guide..94 Lifers!!!, December 17, 2003

By 

Afan of Sitagyl Manor (Brooklyn, New York United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Guide to the Birds of Western Africa (Hardcover)

This is a great book for the bird fanatic going on a trip to West Africa. I recently took a 3 weeks' trip birding on my own in Ghana, hitting all the most famous bird spots, and thanks to this book, managed to tick 94 Lifers. Unless you are fortunate enough to get a dedicated Birder Guide, most of the game guides, required accompaniment on walks in all of Ghana's parks and reserves, will not know all that much about bird species. I was able to ID most of my birds with the plates alone, but one or two were defined by the excellent behavioural hints in the text descriptions (e.g. they perfectly described the song flight of the Zitting Cisticola, which I observed every day while in Accra, while the bird itself was difficult to distinguish from the other cisticolas, the one time I got a good look at it perching on a reed). While I still had several "????" birds (who doesn't get those?) and I probably missed a lot more without a professional bird guide, this book enabled me to understand the avian world of West Africa while birding on my own. Yes, it is a heavy tome, but as a painter I was able to sketch birds in the field on a tiny notepad and then look them up in the tome after returning to my lodging. You can take the Princeton paperback "checklist" along as well if you must have a field reference, but don't leave this big book behind! Highly recommended.