Nightjars : A Guide to the Nightjars, Nighthawks, and Their Relatives [Hardcover]

Nigel Cleere (Author), Dave Nurney (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 11, 1998

This book, with 36 superb color plates that capture the enigmatic beauty of nightjars, is the first to describe in detail every species of the nightjar order, an order of 119 species in five families. Along with discussions on plumage, structure, fossil records, and taxonomy, the book includes distribution maps and accounts of each species` voice, habitat, habit, food, breeding behavior, description, and current status.

Copublished with Pica Press For sale in North and South America

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press (August 11, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300074573
• ISBN-13: 978-0300074574
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 7.6 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,189,098 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Guide to the Nightjars, Nighthawks, and Their Relatives, June 23, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Nightjars : A Guide to the Nightjars, Nighthawks, and Their Relatives (Hardcover)

If you love to listen to the sounds the nightjars make at night, then you must have this book to keep them around. I have never seen a book give so much detail about their habitat and history. And now I finally know the difference between a Whip-poor-will and a nighthawk. This is a great reference book for everyone.

5.0 out of 5 stars For the nightbird enthusiast, August 7, 2011

By 

Madbirder - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nightjars : A Guide to the Nightjars, Nighthawks, and Their Relatives (Hardcover)

In central and northern Europe there was only the Nightjar for me to worry about, in the eastern US I only had to listen out for Whip-poor-will and Chuck-wills-widow and Common Nighthawk but for the rest of the subtropical and tropical world there is a bewildering array of nightjars and allies. My first visit to central America was greeted with up to 13 species that are dealt with in this book. Elsewhere in South America, Africa, Asia and Australasia one can come across a variety of these amazingly camouflaged denizens of the night. This is the book that will help you identify them. The first section of the book deals with how to use the book, Taxonomy, world distribution, topography and morphology, structure and mechanics, plumages and moult, behaviour and the fossil record. Then follows 36 expertly painted plates with a facing page with a brief description of each of the plumages dealt with on the plate. After the plates comes the species accounts which are very detailed along with good range maps. Painstakingly written, this covers all the details of the plumage and birds life down to a detailed description of its diet. This is a brilliant book if you want to know anything about these species and combined with the accompanying CD, link below, this is a one two knockout of a combination.

"A Sound Guide to Nightjars and related Nightbirds "