Birds of Australia: A Photographic Guide

by Iain Campbell, Sam Woods, Nick Leseberg, Geoff Jones (Photographer)

Overview

The best photographic field guide to Australia's birds

Australia is home to a spectacular diversity of birdlife, from parrots and penguins to emus and vibrant passerines. Birds of Australia covers all 714 species of resident birds and regularly occurring migrants and features more than 1,100 stunning color photographs, including many photos of subspecies and plumage variations never before seen in a field guide. Detailed facing-page species accounts describe key identification features such as size, plumage, distribution, behavior, and voice. This one-of-a-kind guide also provides extensive habitat descriptions with a large number of accompanying photos. The text relies on the very latest IOC taxonomy and the distribution maps incorporate the most current mapping data, making this the most up-to-date guide to Australian birds.

• Covers all 714 species of resident birds and regularly occurring migrants
• Features more than 1,100 stunning color photos
• Includes facing-page species accounts, habitat descriptions, and distribution maps
• The ideal photographic guide for beginners and seasoned birders alike

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780691157276
Publisher:	Princeton University Press
Publication date:	11/09/2014
Edition description:	With photography by Geoff Jones
Pages:	392
Sales rank:	777,396
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Iain Campbell, a native of Australia, is builder of the Tandayapa Bird Lodge in Ecuador and cofounder of Tropical Birding, which leads bird and wildlife tours around the world. Sam Woods and Nick Leseberg are nature guides for Tropical Birding. Campbell and Woods are the authors of Wildlife of Australia (Princeton).

Table of Contents

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 7

INTRODUCTION 8

AUSTRALIAN CLIMATE AND RAINFALL 11

HABITATS OF AUSTRALIA 12

Marine and Coastal Habitats 12

Tropical Habitats 17

Temperate Habitats 25

Arid and Semi-arid Habitats 31

Man-made Habitats 36

SPECIES ACCOUNTS 39

Cassowary 40

Emu 40

Megapodes 42

Quail 44

Grebes 46

Ducks, Geese, and Swans 48

Gannet 58

Tropicbirds 58

Pigeons and Doves 60

Frogmouths 70

Owlet-nightjar 72

Nightjars 72

Swifts 74

Storm Petrels 76

Albatrosses 78

Petrels and Shearwaters 84

Penguins 100

Frigatebirds 102

Boobies 104

Darter 106

Cormorants 106

Pelican 108

Stork 108

Cranes 108

Herons and Bitterns 110

Ibises and Spoonbills 116

Osprey 118

Kites, Hawks, and Eagles 118

Falcons 128

Rails, Crakes, and Coots 130

Bustard 136

Stone-curlews 136

Stilts and Avocets 138

Oystercatchers 138

Plovers 140

Jacana 146

Painted-snipe 148

Sandpipers and Snipes 148

Buttonquail 162

Pratincoles 166

Plains-wanderer 166

Skuas 168

Gulls and Terns 170

Cockatoos 180

Parrots 186

Cuckoos 202

Owls 208

Barn Owls 210

Kingfishers 212

Dollarbird 216

Bee-eater 216

Pittas 218

Lyrebirds 220

Australasian Treecreepers 222

Bowerbirds 224

Australasian Wrens 228

Scrubbirds 242

Bristlebirds 242

Australasian Warblers 244

Pardalotes 260

Honeyeaters 262

Australasian Babblers 298

Logrunners 300

Quail-thrushes and Whipbirds 302

Cuckooshrikes 306

Sittella 310

Whistlers and Allies 310

Figbird and Orioles 318

Woodswallows 320

Butcherbirds and Currawongs 324

Fantails 328

Crows 330

Monarchs 332

Australian Mudnesters 338

Birds-of-paradise 340

Drongo 342

Australasian Robins 342

Larks 352

Pipit and Wagtail 352

Grassbirds 352

Cisticolas 354

Reed Warbler 354

White-eyes 356

Mistletoebird 356

Sunbird 356

Swallows and Martins 358

Thrushes 360

Estrildid Finches 362

Old World Sparrows 370

Finches 370

Starlings 372

Bulbul 372

ABBREVIATIONS 374

GLOSSARY 375

PHOTO CREDITS 380

INDEX OF SPECIES 381

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"Birds of Australia is an excellent book. The text is comprehensive, the content is effectively organized and researched, and the scholarship is sound. The photographic plates are of a very high quality."—Peter S. Lansley, senior ecologist, Brett Lane & Associates

Editorial Reviews

"This book goes way beyond any guide I've ever seen, the information is in-depth and useful, not to mention that they show the top of the bird's wing and the bottom of it. . . . One-of-a-kind. . . . I wouldn't settle for any other guide!"

Israel Book Review

"This useful guide covers 714 species of birds, illustrated by more than 1,000 photos. . . . This guide will be helpful to visitors to Australia interested in bird watching as well as Australians interested in identifying bird populations."

Choice

One of the Sydney Morning Herald’s "Australian Writers Pick the Best Books of 2014

From the Publisher