Slater Field Guide to Australian Birds [Paperback]

Peter Slater (Author), Pat Slater (Author), Raoul Slater (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2003

This guide to the identification of all the birds so far recorded in Australia is designed for use in the field, to slip easily into a hip-pocket, backpack or glovebox. More than 750 species are described and illustrated with emphasis on easy comparison between similar species. The accompanying text details the different plumages of male and female birds, variations between adult and juvenile birds, and information on separate sub-species or races, together with their range, setting out the most helpful characteristics to watch out for. The guide also includes species distribution maps which enable the watcher to tell at a glance whether the particular bird is within its area, or is perhaps a rare visitor. In addition, the eggs of all the species that actually breed in Australia are illustrated with a concise description of the nest.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Peter Slater has been interested in birds since early childhood and has studied nearly every Australian species in the field. He has wriiten or illustrated more than twenty books on Natural History. The paintings for this volume took about six years to complete, with superb detail and definition, each bird being carefully checked for colour accuracy.

Product Details

• Paperback: 343 pages
• Publisher: New Holland Publishers, Ltd. (March 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1876334711
• ISBN-13: 978-1876334710
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,424,748 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome Guide to Australian Birds!!, November 29, 2003

By 

LeicaMan "devgroup1" (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Slater Field Guide to Australian Birds (Paperback)

I just returned from Australia and used this guide exclusively for bird watching in Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Melbourne! It is easy to use, both logical and very informative. The paintings of each and every bird are exquisite and very, very accurate!

If you want a comprehensive and user friendly bird guide, this is THE ONE to get...It's lightweight, sturdy and an overall excellent source while out and about either in the city or in the Outback bush! FIVE STARS for this one...you will love it!!!

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Non Fiction, September 2, 2007

By 

Blue Tyson "- Research Finished" (Legion clubhouse) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Slater Field Guide to Australian Birds: revised and updated (Paperback)

A really nice bird book. This is designed to be small enough to take around with you, and big enough that the pictures used for identification are actually usable for most people. In general, this field guide has struck a happy medium, and is quite a useful book to have for the bird fancier. A very handy publication.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Easiest to carry in the field, May 23, 2010

By 

B. Frenz - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Slater Field Guide to Australian Birds: Second Edition (Paperback)

I bought 3 of the 4 recommended bird books for Australia. I think any would be fine, although they do differ. For a comparison, I opened up the three books to the page on Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo with the following results.

Slater includes 6 cockatoo species on that page, illustrations opposite, with crude maps and about 90 words of text per species. This book would fit in a back pocket. 413 pp.

Simpson & Day includes 7 cockatoo species on the page, illustrations opposite, including flight drawings, detailed maps, and about 70 words of text per species. It relegates breeding information to a separate section at the back of the book. It is compact, but would not fit in a back pocket, but might fit in a raincoat pocket. 382 pp.

Pizzey & Knight includes 3 cockatoo species on the page, acceptable maps, about 250 words of text per species. It is the largest book, best carried in a backpack. 575 pp.

The fourth book is by Chambers and although I have not seen it, I am told it has the most detailed descriptions and information, but is lacking in illustrations.