A Photographic Guide to the Birds of India: And the Indian Subcontinent, Including Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives (Princeton Field Guides) (Paperback)

by Bikram Grewal (Author), Bill Harvey (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
This is the most comprehensive photographic guide to the birds of India and the Indian subcontinent. Never before have so many of the region's species been illustrated in one book.

The brilliant photographs--most of which appear here for the first time--have been carefully selected to show not only the most common Passerine and non-Passerine species, but also more elusive species and distinctive subspecies. An up-to-date distribution map and a unique code indicating frequency and global status are provided for each of the 668 species covered. The concise text provides vital information on habitats, habits, and voice to ensure accurate identification.

Designed for easy use, the book places photos and maps in close proximity to provide an at-a-glance overview for each species. Birds are indexed by both their common and scientific names.

This is an essential volume for all birdwatchers and wildlife enthusiasts as well as for anyone traveling to India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Pakistan, Bangladesh, or Bhutan.

Bikram Grewal has written more than twenty books on India, including three guides to its birds. He is a biodiversity expert for the Indian government. Bill Harvey is a lifelong birdwatcher who has lived throughout the Indian subcontinent. He published the first authoritative checklist on the birds of Bangladesh as well as numerous articles and is a cofounder of the Northern Indian Bird Network. Otto Pfister is a wildlife photographer whose work has appeared in numerous publications. He has also published several illustrated articles on birds.

• Gorgeous full-color photographs
• Distribution maps for all species
• Abundance icons
• Photographs, text, and maps in close proximity for at-a-glance overview
• Expert text aids species identification

Product Details

• Paperback: 520 pages
• Publisher: Princeton University Press (January 13, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 069111496X
• ISBN-13: 978-0691114965
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 4.7 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #956,368 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "A" for effort, "B plus" for results, April 20, 2003

By	Tom Kogut (Packwood, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This book is a very noble effort at a photographic field guide to Indian birds. Not surprisingly, the quality of the photos varies from excellent to marginal-at-best; a few species could not possibly be intentified from the photos provided. Having said that, this book does contain several valuable features lacking from the other Indian bird guides. The range maps are displayed along with each species, with symbols and notes on the relative rarity of each species. Another very nice feature is the inclusion of the older, common (English) names which is great for those who have birded in India for awhile. I also like the smaller size and portablility of this book. The bottom line: if you are going to take one bird field guide to India, I wouldn't take this one- the Grimmett/Inskipps or Kazmeirczak "non-photo" guides are better bets. However, if you are a serious birder and don't mind packing two bird books, I'd highly recommned taking this one along to supplement the information in the other field guides.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Avoid, July 26, 2003

By A Customer

wORTH aVOIDING - BAD PICTURES ( A FEW GOOD) NO MATCH FOR THE INSKIPP - NOT A GUIDE BUT A PICTURE BOOK

3.0 out of 5 stars Standard photo guide; useful but not complete, August 29, 2008

By	Soleglad (Arizona, USA) - See all my reviews

Basics: 2002, softcover, 512 pages, 750+ color photos, 668 species, range maps

Princeton has put out a few books that follow this same photo guide format. It should be noted this book is not a complete guide. It shows only 668 (45%) of the region's nearly 1,500 species. However, this book does illustrate more species than any other single photo-book available for the subcontinent. Most of the birds are shown with a single color photo. About 10% of the birds have two photos.

The selection of photos is good for 85-90% of the birds. They show the bird in good light and in the open for a clear view. Some of these birds are displayed a bit small but generally well enough to be identified. The remaining 10-15% of the photos are of low quality. These are often too small, too dark, too grainy, too obscured, or too indistinct to allow proper identification. Some photos appear to be included merely because a photo of any sort was available. Since most of the birds have only one photo, this book won't be helpful for immature birds, various races, or many of the females.

The paragraphs of text are brief and cover description, voice, and habits. The description, composed of 8-12 short lines, takes up about half of the text. These descriptions offer some details but are not in-depth enough to offer help for identifying many of the similar species. This section on habits covers habitat preference and some behavioral notes. The voice is generally described in 2-4 short lines.

Each bird receives the same map of the Indian subcontinent, containing two colors: Red for resident or breeding summer visitor and blue for non-breeding winter visitor. The map shows Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. The ranges shown for the birds artificially stop at the political boundaries of these countries.

Will this book be useful for a trip to India or the adjacent countries? Yes, but keep in mind the limitations that (a) less than half the species are shown and (b) only one of the plumages is shown. For a birding trip to India, you'll want to use one of the complete field guides, a couple of which are very good. Use this photo guide to help prepare for your trip but rely on an illustrated guide for your field excursions. The books by Rasmussen or by Grimmett are superior to this.

I've listed several related books below...
1) Birds of South Asia:Vol 1 & 2 by Rasmussen
2) Birds of India... by Grimmett
3) A Guide to the Birds of India... by Grimmett
4) Birds of Nepal by Grimmett
5) Birds of the Indian Subcontinent by Grewal
6) Birds of Western Ghats, Kokan & Malabar by Pande
7) A Field Guide to the Birds of the Indian Subcontinent by Kazmierczak
8) A Field Guide to the Birds of Borneo, Sumatra, Java, and Bali by MacKinnon
9) Photographic Guide to Birds of India and Nepal by Grewal
10) Photographic Guide to Birds of the Himalayas by Grewal