Birds of Eastern Africa

Description

This is the only pocket guide to all the known birds of eastern Africa, an area nearly half the size of the contiguous United States and including Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, and Yemen’s Socotra Island. Drawing on almost two decades of visits to the region, Ber van Perlo offers a concise reference whose 96 color plates and accompanying text describe all 1,487 species birders might see, including some of the most colorful anywhere on earth–from ostriches to albatrosses, boobies and cormorants to vultures, lovebirds, parrots, parakeets, cuckoos, kingfishers, bee-eaters, starlings, waxbills, weavers, and many more.
Each plate illustrates similar species and subspecies while the facing pages feature precise, pithy entries summing up physical traits, behavior, habitat, and voice. Distribution maps show the range and frequency of each species. This is an indispensable guide for all birders, amateur and professional alike, who have given thought to exploring the ornithological wealth of this part of Africa.

Ber van Perlo has been traveling and living in Africa, mainly in Kenya, since his retirement from the Dutch National Forest Service in 1981. He has illustrated three bird guides: Megapodes, by René Dekker; Rails: A Guide to the Rails, Crakes, Gallinules and Coots of the World, by Barry Taylor; and A Field Guide to the Birds of the Indian Subcontinent, by Krys Kazmierczak. “. . . this handy volume is certain to become as essential as binoculars.”—David Tomlinson, New Scientist “The books are compact, convenient guides for birders and scientists interested in identifying birds while visiting the regions. Their small, lightweight sizes make for easy packing and carrying in the back pocket while trudging around the countryside. They are the perfect alternative to the larger guides that are too large for travelling and often have more information than is necessary for field identification.”