Birds of Southern Africa
Birds of Southern Africa surpasses other field guides to the region by illustrating and describing all 1,250 bird species of South Africa, Zambia, Malawi, Namibia, Lesotho, Swaziland, Botswana, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe. In addition, this is the only guide to illustrate the birds of Angola (including Cabinda), whose river basins and rocky hillsides are home to the striking White-headed Robin Chat and the Angolan Cave Chat. The 84 color plates group similar species and subspecies and also depict vagrants and ocean wanderers that appear in this huge region characterized by widely varying habitats, from woodlands and forests to deserts to swamps. The text directly opposite the plates concisely describes each bird's habitat and key physical, behavioral, and vocal characteristics. All the larks are shown perching as well as in flight, and every swallow is pictured in flight from below. The most distinctive immature and nonbreeding plumages are included, and distribution maps show the range and frequency of each species. This is an essential guide for any birder contemplating a trip to southern Africa.

  • The only field guide to illustrate every bird species of South Africa, Zambia, Malawi, Namibia, Lesotho, Swaziland, Botswana, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Angola (including Cabinda)
  • 1,250 species illustrated on 84 color plates
  • Buzzards to bustards, flufftails to flycatchers, penguins to pipits, and many more
  • Informative notes directly opposite illustrations succinctly describe each bird's habitat and key physical, behavioral, and vocal characteristics
  • Female or juvenile shown for many species in addition to adult male
  • Subspecies and color variants included
  • Shaded maps showing range and frequency of each species
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Birds of Southern Africa
Birds of Southern Africa surpasses other field guides to the region by illustrating and describing all 1,250 bird species of South Africa, Zambia, Malawi, Namibia, Lesotho, Swaziland, Botswana, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe. In addition, this is the only guide to illustrate the birds of Angola (including Cabinda), whose river basins and rocky hillsides are home to the striking White-headed Robin Chat and the Angolan Cave Chat. The 84 color plates group similar species and subspecies and also depict vagrants and ocean wanderers that appear in this huge region characterized by widely varying habitats, from woodlands and forests to deserts to swamps. The text directly opposite the plates concisely describes each bird's habitat and key physical, behavioral, and vocal characteristics. All the larks are shown perching as well as in flight, and every swallow is pictured in flight from below. The most distinctive immature and nonbreeding plumages are included, and distribution maps show the range and frequency of each species. This is an essential guide for any birder contemplating a trip to southern Africa.

  • The only field guide to illustrate every bird species of South Africa, Zambia, Malawi, Namibia, Lesotho, Swaziland, Botswana, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Angola (including Cabinda)
  • 1,250 species illustrated on 84 color plates
  • Buzzards to bustards, flufftails to flycatchers, penguins to pipits, and many more
  • Informative notes directly opposite illustrations succinctly describe each bird's habitat and key physical, behavioral, and vocal characteristics
  • Female or juvenile shown for many species in addition to adult male
  • Subspecies and color variants included
  • Shaded maps showing range and frequency of each species
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Birds of Southern Africa

Birds of Southern Africa

by Ber van Perlo
Birds of Southern Africa

Birds of Southern Africa

by Ber van Perlo

Paperback

$34.00 
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Overview

Birds of Southern Africa surpasses other field guides to the region by illustrating and describing all 1,250 bird species of South Africa, Zambia, Malawi, Namibia, Lesotho, Swaziland, Botswana, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe. In addition, this is the only guide to illustrate the birds of Angola (including Cabinda), whose river basins and rocky hillsides are home to the striking White-headed Robin Chat and the Angolan Cave Chat. The 84 color plates group similar species and subspecies and also depict vagrants and ocean wanderers that appear in this huge region characterized by widely varying habitats, from woodlands and forests to deserts to swamps. The text directly opposite the plates concisely describes each bird's habitat and key physical, behavioral, and vocal characteristics. All the larks are shown perching as well as in flight, and every swallow is pictured in flight from below. The most distinctive immature and nonbreeding plumages are included, and distribution maps show the range and frequency of each species. This is an essential guide for any birder contemplating a trip to southern Africa.

  • The only field guide to illustrate every bird species of South Africa, Zambia, Malawi, Namibia, Lesotho, Swaziland, Botswana, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Angola (including Cabinda)
  • 1,250 species illustrated on 84 color plates
  • Buzzards to bustards, flufftails to flycatchers, penguins to pipits, and many more
  • Informative notes directly opposite illustrations succinctly describe each bird's habitat and key physical, behavioral, and vocal characteristics
  • Female or juvenile shown for many species in addition to adult male
  • Subspecies and color variants included
  • Shaded maps showing range and frequency of each species

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780691141695
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Publication date: 01/25/2009
Series: Princeton Illustrated Checklists
Pages: 320
Product dimensions: 5.00(w) x 7.50(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Ber van Perlo has been traveling and living in Africa since 1981. He is the award-winning author and illustrator of Birds of East Africa, Birds of Western and Central Africa, and Birds of Mexico and Central America (all Princeton).

Table of Contents

Introduction 7
Parts of a bird 17
The Plates 19
Plates
1 Seabirds (Albatrosses and Giant Petrels)
2 Seabirds (Petrels and Shearwaters)
3 Seabirds (Petrels and Fulmar)
4 Seabirds (Prions and Storm-petrels)
5 Seabirds (Frigatebirds, Gannets and Boobies)
6 Waterbirds (Grebes, Sheathbill and Penguins)
7 Tropicbirds, Cormorants and Darter
8 Flamingos, large Herons, Shoebill and Pelicans
9 Small Herons, Night Herons, Bitterns and Egrets
10 Storks, Ibises and Hamerkop
11 Geese and Ducks 12 Ducks
13 Raptors (Goshawks and Sparrowhawks)
14 Raptors (Harriers, Kites and Gymnogene)
15 Raptors (Cuckoo Hawk and Buzzards)
16 Raptors (Fish Eagle, Osprey, Long-crested Eagle and Hawk Eagles)
17 Raptors (Bateleur, Serpent Eagle and Snake Eagles)
18 Raptors (True Eagles)
19 Raptors (Vultures, Martial Eagle and Crowned Eagle)
20 Raptors (Vultures)
21 Raptors (Bat Hawk and Falcons)
22 Raptors (Falcons and Kestrels)
23 Francolins, Spurfowl and Chukar
24 Rails (Rail, Gallinules, Moorhens, Coot, Crakes) and Guineafowl
25 Rails (Flufftails), Quails, Button-quails and Jacanas
26 Secretary bird, Cranes and Bustards
27 Shorebirds (`Pied' Shorebirds, Godwits, Curlews, Thick-knees and Turnstone)
28 Shorebirds (Plovers)
29 Shorebirds (Sandpipers and Stints)
30 Shorebirds (Lapwings, Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Ruff and Golden Plovers)
31 Shorebirds (Tringa-sandpipers, Common Sandpiper, Terek Sandpiper and Snipes)
32 Shorebirds (Pratincoles, Coursers and Phalaropes)
33 Skuas and large Gulls 34 Gulls
35 Terns and Skimmer
36 Tems and Noddies
37 Pigeons and Doves
38 Mousebirds,Sandgrouse, Lovebirds, Parrots and Hoopoe
39 Turacos, Go-away Birds, Rollers and Wood Hoopoes
40 Cuckoos
41 Nightjars
42 Owls and Coucals
43 Swifts and Spinetails
44 Bee-eaters and Hornbills
45 Crows and large Hornbills
46 Kingfishers and Trogons 47 Barbers
48 Honeyguides, Honeybirds, Broadbill, Tinkerbirds and Pitta
49 Woodpeckers and Wryneck 50 Larks
51 Larks 52 Swallows 53 Swallows, Saw-wings and Martins
54 Orioles, Babblers and Illadopsises
55 Greenbuls, Brownbuls and Bulbuls
56 Greenbuls, Drongos, Cuckooshrikes and Nicators
57 Thrushes (Wheatears, Chats and Scrub Robins)
58 Thrushes (Chats, Rock Thrushes, Redstart, Whinchat, Stonechat, Robins and Thrush Nightingale)
59 Thrushes (Cave Chat, Akalats, Anteater Chats, Alethes, Ant Thrushes) and Rockjumpers
60 Thrushes and Robin Chats
61 Warblers (Reed and other brownish Warblers)
62 Warblers (Eremomelas, Crombecs, Bleating and other small Warblers)
63 Warblers (Prinias, Yellow Warblers, Hylia, Grass and Moustached Warblers, Rockrunnc and Fairy Flycatcher
64 Warblers (Cisticolas)
65 Warblers (Cisticolas, Apalises and Tailorbirds)
66 Warblers (Longbills, Sylvias) and Monarch Flycatchers (Paradise, Crested and Blue Flycatchers)
67 Flycatchers
68 Hyliotas, Batises, Wattle-eyes and other Flycatchers
69 Sugarbirds, Creeper, Tits, and Sunbirds 70 Sunbirds
71 Sunbirds and White-eyes
72 Bush Shrikes and Tchagras
73 Puffbacks, Helmet Shrikes and Shrikes 74 Starlings
75 Pipits and Oxpeckers
76 Wagtails, Longclaws and Sparrow Larks
77 Sparrows, Petronia, Chaffinch, Buffalo & Sparrow Weavers and Buntings
78 Whydas, Bishops, Queleas and Malimbes
79 Weavers
80 Weavers and Estrild Finches
81 Eserild Finches
82 Estrild Finches
83 Finches (Canaries, Seedeaters and Siskins)
84 Birds of Cabinda
Distribution maps 202
Appendix of Portuguese and Afrikaans names 267
Bibliography and list of further reading 302
Indexes of English and scientific names 304

What People are Saying About This

Stuart Keith

Praise for Princeton's previous edition: "If you are headed to southern Africa for the first time, you can put this in your pocket and take it into the field, and it will give you an excellent overview.
Stuart Keith, "Birding"

From the Publisher

Praise for Princeton's previous edition: If you are headed to southern Africa for the first time, you can put this in your pocket and take it into the field, and it will give you an excellent overview."—Stuart Keith, Birding

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Customer Reviews