Field Guide to the Birds of East Africa: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi (Hardcover)

~ John Fanshawe (Author), (Author) "Endemic to Africa, ostriches are huge flightless birds with small wings, massive legs and two large forward pointing toes..." (more)
Key Phrases: spitted notes, widespread nominate race, face mask extending, East Africa, Semliki Forest, Albertine Rift (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...a very fine field-guide indeed and sets a new standard for regional African guides." -- Fatbirder.com, 2001

"...this is by far the best and most exciting guide available for anywhere in Africa..." -- Ken Arber, Surfbirds.com, November 2001

"If you are planning a trip to [East Africa] this is now unquestionably the most valuable book you can buy." -- Birdguides.com, 2001

As soon as you open the book, you'll realise that the standard of artwork is exceptional. The text is also of an unusually high standard…. If you are planning a trip to Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda or Burundi this is now unquestionably the most valuable book you can buy. And if you aren't yet planning a trip there this is the perfect book to get you dreaming. -- Review

Review

"Stevenson and Fanshaw's new volume is the fourth guidebook to enter this market and is by far the best. The illustrations are clear, distinct and beautifully illustrated; distribution maps are located alongside each illustration, as is a short and succinct description, so no faffing about between illustration and text. The volume's hard cover makes it an excellent companion on tough birding safaris. I could not recommend this volume more warmly."
--Kim Gehab, an Amazon.co.uk Customer (November 2001)
"For birders with an interest in the region and those planning a trip, look no further. With the publication of this guide we have distilled into one book all the good elements of what has gone before but better...a super-easy guide to utilize. ...The plates are the book's tour de force and are simply outstanding. ...this is by far the best and most exciting guide available for anywhere in Africa..."
--Ken Arber in SURFBIRDS.COM (November 2001)
"The illustrations in this guide are of a very high standard and show the detail needed for field identification whilst remaining of an artistic quality that makes the book an attractive object as well as a useful one. ...The brief descriptions are excellent and the language fresh and punchy... a very fine field-guide indeed and sets a new standard for regional African guides."
--FATBIRDER.COM (2001)
"As soon as you open the book, you'll realise that the standard of artwork is exceptional. The text is also of an unusually high standard. ...If you are planning a trip to Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda or Burundi this is now unquestionably the most valuable book you can buy. And if you aren't yet planning a trip there this is the perfect book to get you dreaming."
--BIRDGUIDES.COM (2001)

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 600 pages
• Publisher: Elsevier Science; 1 edition (October 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0856610798
• ISBN-13: 978-0856610790
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,181,868 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #35 in	Books > History > Africa > Uganda
  #76 in	Books > History > Africa > Tanzania

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous new East African bird book., December 28, 2001

By	John D. Gerhart (New York, New York USA) - See all my reviews

After years of having one of the world's worst bird books, East Africa now has two of the best. The Zimmerman/Turner book on Kenya and Northern Tanzania, the work of 30 years, set a new standard of scholarship and illustration. This book draws on that one, but is even better for the tourist and field birder. It covers all of Uganda and Tanzania, as well as Rwanda and Burundi. It is smaller and lighter to carry. And the illustrations and their placement in related groups on the same page are simply outstanding. This is one of the best bird books in the world and will dominate the market for years to come.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Field Guide to the Birds of East Africa is superb!!, November 28, 2001

By	James L. Spingarn "bird&aircraft book lover" (Glen Head, NY USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I think I have all the guides to the birds of East Africa in the last 30 years, but this most recent by Terry Stevenson and John Fanshawe is certainly the most comprehensive, artistically excellent and usable. Ber van Perlo's Collins Illustrated Checklist "Birds of Eastern Africa" is smaller and lighterweight but no comparison, nor intended to be, in description or plate detail. This new volume, with a 2002(!) publication date has amongst the best plates and abbreviated descriptions, in my opinion, ever published in a comparable volume on birds. Artists John Gale and Brian Small are fabulous (Norman Arlott lacks their skills, but does his subjects justice as well). It is a exceedingly worthwhile complement to Dale Zimmerman's larger format "Birds of Kenya and northern Tanzania" and includes all of Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi as well. Don't miss this book!

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars a good start - but a thorough review is in order, March 19, 2002

By	J.J. Bouwman (Zeist, Netherlands) - See all my reviews

I used this field guide during my recent trip to Kenya and Uganda. Although it is by all means an excellent fieldguide I do have some remarks. A number of the plates contained errors, suggesting the artists didn't see these birds in the field. I realise it is virtually impossible for artists to see all species featured in a book such as this in the field, so that a lot of plates are drawn from skins. It is important however to use skins from the region itself, this may make a lot of difference. We came to the conclusion that for a number of species skins from west Africa were used. Especially the greenbuls had some misleading plates. For a number of species the Kenyan Zimmerman-book is probably better, although those plates lack in other respects.
In addition a number of the maps were incorrect, especially for Uganda.
Still, if you go to the region for birding, make sure to get this book, because it is definitely the best field guide around.