Co-authored by BTO staff member Paul Stancliffe, this unique identification guide features all the common birds of Britain and Ireland, including all species that breed regularly in the region, plus those that winter here, or occur as common passage migrants.
The book has been written and illustrated as much with the beginner in mind as the experienced birdwatcher. Designed to be used in the field, the text and photographs describe and illustrate the key features needed to identify a species with confidence, and to separate it from similar, or ‘confusion’, species. Throughout the book there are special pages that describe the key features needed for separating different families, and groups of birds that share the same habitat.
More than 1,200 photographs are featured and many are seen here for the first time. They have been chosen carefully to show not only important identification features but also to give clues to the usual habitat favoured by the bird, and its typical posture.
Relative abundance maps are shown for every species. The darker shading shows where a species is most abundant and the lighter shades where it is less so, for both winter and summer. These are based on the very latest information contained within the BTO’s Bird Atlas 2007–11. In addition, a calendar wheel shows the months when species are most frequently seen.
