Birds of Kenya and Northern Tanzania (Hardcover)

~ (Author, Illustrator), Donald A. Turner (Author), David J. Pearson (Author), Ian Willis (Illustrator), H. Douglas Pratt (Illustrator), Roger Tory Peterson (Foreword)

Editorial Reviews

Review

Birds of Kenya is a superior achievement, and the design and artwork set a standard for the guides that cover areas with a large number of species. . .Any bird watcher visiting Kenya must have it. -- Review

In East Africa, where Kenya alone boasts nearly 1,100 species, scarcely more than half are figured in the most widely used field guide. Because there has been so much guesswork by traveling birders about the hundreds of unfigured species, a superb team has finally done something about it and filled the gap. There will be no more guesswork.... The present volume should be hailed not only by birders but by conservationists aware of the urgent need for African governments to establish strong strategies to preserve their rich natural heritage. -- From the foreword by Roger Tory Peterson

Review

Birds of Kenya is a superior achievement. . . . Any bird watcher visiting Kenya must have it. (Bird Watcher's Digest ) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 752 pages
• Publisher: Princeton University Press (July 8, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0691026580
• ISBN-13: 978-0691026589
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 7.1 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,551,560 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Birders paradise, May 19, 2001

By	"michaeleve" (Miami, Florida) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Birds of Kenya and Northern Tanzania (Paperback)

A sign of environmental health and richness of biodiversity is the number of birds that a given area supports. Kenya then qualifies as a rich ecosystem with over 1,000 different species of birds.

This book was not around when I was a youngster living in Kenya but thumbing through it as an adult has brought back some fond memories of days out in the bush in Amboseli and Masai Mara or at lakes Nakura, Naivasha, and Victoria. Kenya is a birders paradise whatever your interest. There are fairly familiar Eurasian visiting seabirds and shorebirds and unique and beautiful East African sunbirds, weavers, rollers and bee-eaters. There are multitude birds of prey including the unmistakable tiny-tailed Bateleur Eagle and the most impressive hunting bird i've ever seen - the African Crowned Eagle. I can recall like it was yesterday watching one pluck a male colobus monkey right out of the tree tops. All of the birds are here in splendid color with the most appropriate profile presented to assist in making identification easy. You'll find the underside views of the birds of prey very useful.

While you probably won't see a Crowned Eagle on a casual birding visit to Kenya, any guided trip into the game parks will guarantee you at least 100 different species - probably in a single day! In the right locations, prepare to have your head on a swivel as the variety of birdlife you will behold has to be seen to be believed. You will find yourself regularly flipping through the pages of this book. This book is absolutely essential for your Kenyan trip.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The book the game park guides use, January 7, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Birds of Kenya and Northern Tanzania (Hardcover)

I live and work in East Africa, and this is the book the park rangers all carry in their open Land Rovers. They cover it with canvas so it won't get beat up too fast, and it gets marked with brown circles from the thermos of coffee on the 06:30 game drive. Go to Masai Mara Game Reserve in Kenya for a long weekend with this book, and you'll come home with 150 species. Don't worry about the weight of the book, I started with the Collins field guide and had to buy my copy of Zimmerman in the middle of my first stay because I outgrew it. Buy Zimmerman to start with, you won't regret it.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Currently, the most authoratative reference; excellent!, October 11, 1998

By A Customer

Used by the most knowledgeable safari guides as well as avid birding tourists, this book is large; nonetheless, a copy should be in every safari vehicle harboring serious birders. The more compulsive 'counter' will want his (or her) own copy to mark up. This is a great big-brother companion to Dave Richards' small, inexpensive Photographic Guide to the Birds of East Africa; the latter book should suffice for the less serious birder (and fits in a shirt pocket). Each book is superior to the Audubon Guide to African Wildlife - if interest is limited to East Africa.