Birds of India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and the Maldives

Book Description

From the snowcapped Himalayas and the Indus valley, to the Ganges delta and the Sri Lankan forests, the Indian subcontinent is home to 13% of the world's species of birds and thousands of birders and ecotourists flock to the area every year. This field guide will be indispensable to those who wish to find and identify the many species of avifauna of the Indian subcontinent and environs.

Featuring more than 150 color plates by eminent bird illustrators from Europe and India, it depicts all the known species in the region, ranging from the Himalayan Snowcock in the north to the Sri Lanka Spurfowl in the south. The plates include all relevant identifiable subspecies, as well as ages and sexes. It contains hundreds of range maps and the succinct text on the facing pages covers identification, voice, and distribution. Specially designed for use in the field, it is a compact version of the landmark A Guide to the Birds of India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives, hailed on its publication as a "stunning book" that "advanced the cause of Indian birding by 20-30 years." With its modest price, small trim size, and sturdy, weather-resistant binding, this field guide is the one volume that every adventurous traveler to the Indian subcontinent must have.

Customer Reviews:

Only book we needed.......2006-03-08

We bought a second reference because it's hard to know which plates will help amateurs like us identify the species in a place we've not previously visited. However, with the plates, the maps, and the generally brief, but accurate descriptions, this was the only book we needed to quickly identify the over 100 species we spotted on our trip. The soft cover made it easier to stuff into one of our binocular bags.

The birder's companion to India.......2005-04-13

Going to India? BUY THIS BOOK. Truly a definitive guide to the birds of India, absolutely user-friendly in the field. Accurate slates and distribution diagrams will help you determine, very briskly, the bird you are looking at. This is important in India because there are tons of birds. Morphological and behavioural characteristics are also defined in this intense field guide. Importantly, this is easy to access, it doesn't make you bounce back and forth 3 times from the slate. Pointers on the slate also help you to quickly make distinctions between similar birds. This field guide makes birding fun and an ease. Colourful slates, smart layout, if only all field guides could be this good.

At long last..........2000-04-12

Finally, a complete, comphrensive FIELD guide to the birds of India! Gone are the days of hauling 2 or 3 hardcover bird books to the subcontinent just to be able to identify relatively common species. The drawings in this book are excellent, the descriptions very detailed, and the range maps very helpful. My two criticisms are that birders familiar with the common names in Salim Ali's "The Book of Indian Birds" will be confused with the revised nomenclature in this guide (based on the Inskipp's Indian Checklist); some changes are relatively minor, while others are so dramatically different (and frankly puzzling) that cross-referencing is a chore. The second involves the seperation of many of the range maps from the plates and descriptions, sometimes by many pages. This was due to the large number of species featured on some plates- there just wasn't enough room for the maps also. A better strategy might have been to put them all in the back of the book. But the benefits of this book far outweigh the shortcomings- my next trip to India promises to be more rewarding and productive bird-wise (as well as easier on my back)due to this excellent and overdue field guide.

A Photographic Guide to the Birds of India: And the Indian Subcontinent, Including Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives (Princeton Field Guides)

Average customer rating:

Birds of India
Avoid
"A" for effort, "B plus" for results

A Photographic Guide to the Birds of India: And the Indian Subcontinent, Including Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives (Princeton Field Guides)
Bikram Grewal , and Bill Harvey
Manufacturer: Princeton University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 069111496X

Book Description

This is the most comprehensive photographic guide to the birds of India and the Indian subcontinent. Never before have so many of the region's species been illustrated in one book.

The brilliant photographs--most of which appear here for the first time--have been carefully selected to show not only the most common Passerine and non-Passerine species, but also more elusive species and distinctive subspecies. An up-to-date distribution map and a unique code indicating frequency and global status are provided for each of the 668 species covered. The concise text provides vital information on habitats, habits, and voice to ensure accurate identification.

Designed for easy use, the book places photos and maps in close proximity to provide an at-a-glance overview for each species. Birds are indexed by both their common and scientific names.

This is an essential volume for all birdwatchers and wildlife enthusiasts as well as for anyone traveling to India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Pakistan, Bangladesh, or Bhutan.

Bikram Grewal has written more than twenty books on India, including three guides to its birds. He is a biodiversity expert for the Indian government. Bill Harvey is a lifelong birdwatcher who has lived throughout the Indian subcontinent. He published the first authoritative checklist on the birds of Bangladesh as well as numerous articles and is a cofounder of the Northern Indian Bird Network. Otto Pfister is a wildlife photographer whose work has appeared in numerous publications. He has also published several illustrated articles on birds.

Gorgeous full-color photographs
Distribution maps for all species
Abundance icons
Photographs, text, and maps in close proximity for at-a-glance overview
Expert text aids species identification

Customer Reviews:

Birds of India.......2007-03-20

The book helped me to identify one bird I saw in Pakistan which I tried in other books.

Avoid.......2003-07-26

wORTH aVOIDING - BAD PICTURES ( A FEW GOOD) NO MATCH FOR THE INSKIPP - NOT A GUIDE BUT A PICTURE BOOK

"A" for effort, "B plus" for results.......2003-04-21

This book is a very noble effort at a photographic field guide to Indian birds. Not surprisingly, the quality of the photos varies from excellent to marginal-at-best; a few species could not possibly be intentified from the photos provided. Having said that, this book does contain several valuable features lacking from the other Indian bird guides. The range maps are displayed along with each species, with symbols and notes on the relative rarity of each species. Another very nice feature is the inclusion of the older, common (English) names which is great for those who have birded in India for awhile. I also like the smaller size and portablility of this book. The bottom line: if you are going to take one bird field guide to India, I wouldn't take this one- the Grimmett/Inskipps or Kazmeirczak "non-photo" guides are better bets. However, if you are a serious birder and don't mind packing two bird books, I'd highly recommned taking this one along to supplement the information in the other field guides.

Field Guide To The Mammals Of The Indian Subcontinent: WHERE TO WATCH MAMMALS IN INDIA, NEPAL, BHUTAN, BANGLADESH, SRILANKA AND PAKISTAN (Ap Natural World)

Average customer rating:

Disappointed As Well
Quite Disappointed
Good field guide - bad entertainment

Field Guide To The Mammals Of The Indian Subcontinent: WHERE TO WATCH MAMMALS IN INDIA, NEPAL, BHUTAN, BANGLADESH, SRILANKA AND PAKISTAN (Ap Natural World)
K.K. GURUNG
Manufacturer: Academic Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0123093503

Book Description

This book is a field guide to the mammals of this unique subcontinent and includes the best places to watch them. It describes each of the 100 plus species that can be recognized in the field, including identification, habitat, range, behavior, diet, breeding, status, and similar species. The Field Guide also contains color illustrations of each mammal as well as tracks of the more prominent species, and mammal lists and maps for each national park.

Key Features:

The only current guide to mammals of the region
Contains color pictures and full text on the 106 larger species likely to be encountered
Includes drawings of tracks of key species to aid identification
Presents full details of 23 parks and reserves, with location maps, visiting details and species lists for each

Customer Reviews:

Disappointed As Well.......2006-03-03

I have to concur with the first reviewer, this book was a big disappointment. I was looking for a resource that would allow me to identify mammals in the field. This book does not do that. If you have even the most rudimentary knowledge of animals (e.g. you can identify an elephant) then you can probably get by without this book.

The plates are few and of poor quality. Maybe the authors just tried to do too much, but the format leaves a lot to be desired and most of the material either needs to be removed or expanded upon (removal might be preferable: the 3 page list of what is on the 9 color plates is silly, a better index would work fine). While it is small and sturdy as a good field guide should be, the overall information probably won't help you much in identifying mammals. I saw three species of sheep in the Indian Himalaya and only one was listed in the guide. Similarly, I saw two species of pika and I am still not sure if they are the two described and illustrated.

I actually liked the section towards the back regarding where to look for animals. However, that this more of a reference or travel planning source, and it is only a brief overview at that. Allowing that it accounts for about 40% of the entire guide, it is a lot to carry around for little information.

The bottom line is that I would never carry this book into the field again.

Quite Disappointed.......2002-03-08

I found this book to be overall pretty disappointing. First off, the illustrations are horrible. They look like children's cartoon drawings. Why don't the editors of mammal-books hire the same artists who do bird guides? The latter are generally really good.

Secondly, there is a lot of important information lacking. For example the book states that it describes "almost all the species that can be identified in the field easily". I was hoping for a book to 'the mammals of the indian subcontinent' (ALL of them) not a book of 'the mammals of the indian subcontinent that can be easily identified'. The whole section at the end on 'Where to Watch mammals' is pretty useless. I'll get that info from the 'Lonely Planet', thanks. That space should have been spent instead on descriptions (and better illustrations) of more species.

Good field guide - bad entertainment.......2000-06-23

This book covers the land mammals of the Indian Subregion or in other words it cover: India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan. However, it also does exclude the smaller and often inconspicious mammals like baths, schrews, and most rodents. A number of small but often conspicious mammals are included. For instance both squirrels and pikas are included. In total it depicts and describes 106 species in deatail. It starts in the typical manner with an introduction to the region, mammals, and mammal observing. This section is highly usefull to the unexperienced reader, but will probably seem quite borring to most, as it is short and only mentiones the most bassal things. The next fourty pages is devoted to the mammal species themselves. This means that there is 2-3 species per page. About each species the book descibes identification, habitat, range (no range maps!), behavior, diet, breeding, status, and similar species. The text is not for pleasure reading, but it is highly usefull in the field. A thing to remember - not mentioned in the book - is that the status refers to subregion only, not the intire world. An example is the Red Deer (Cervus elaphus) which is described as endangered. The next pages are assigned to 12 colour plates with drawings of the mammals. The drawings are not especialy beautiful, but all the important details usefull in identification are remembered. The next 12 plates are devoted to animal tracks. The last third of the book describes 23 national parks/reserves in the region including the famous Chitwan NP and Sunderbars NP. These pages are the highlight of the book. In this part there is a map of each park and a quite thorrow descibtion of acces, accomodation facilities, season to go there, larger mammals of the area etc. Sadly similar chapters in other books have been shown to go quickly out of date. At the end of the book there is a chapter called "futher reading" which obviously seems equal to bibliograpy.

In total the book seems to be good in the field, but there are quite a few large lacks. For instance a number of large species known in the area are not mentioned at all. An example is the Toque Macaque (Macaca sinica). The Slender Lori (Loris tardigrandus) is mentioned only briefly in "similar species" of the Slow Lori ( Nycticebus coucang). This seems strange as the Slende lori occurs in a much larger part of the subregion. Sadley this is also a fact with a number of other species. They also use a number of outdated latin names. An example is the use of the genus Felis for all the smaller cats. In the beginning of the book they mention that the reason for the use of "old names" is because they are more familiar to people! But they are still incorrect in my opinion (I know other people don't find them to be so). It is however still a very good and usefull companion when watching wildlife in the region.

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A field guide to the birds of India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, and the Maldives
Krys Kazmierczak
Manufacturer: Om Book Service
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Ornithology | Zoology | Biological Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 8187107049

Average customer rating:

All a birder needs in Sri Lanka

Field Guide to the Birds of Sri Lanka
Sarath Kotagama , and et al
Manufacturer: Wildlife Heritage Trust
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Sri Lanka | Asia | History | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 9559114077

Customer Reviews:

All a birder needs in Sri Lanka.......1999-11-06

Kotagama and Fernando's field guide filled a long-felt need of the birding public in Sri Lanka, inured as it was to consulting Henry's increasingly expensive and sometimes unavailable classic 'Birds of Ceylon'. Kotagama's volume follows the familiar field guide formula of potted species descriptions and colour plates with pointers to distinctive plumage characteristics. The artwork is not J. Fenwick Landsdowne but is pretty good nevertheless. It gets the job done, despite the slightly iffy colour values of some plates. What I like is the sizing of the illustrations -- they are big enough that salient features are clear. (This is my quibble with Harrison and Worfolk's plates from their more recent field guide; the illustrations are too small to be terribly useful). Kotagama also gives local names in Sinhalese. Unlike in Harrison's book there are no distribution maps but this is not really a problem for a small geographic area such as Sri Lanka. The plasticized cover is handy but is peeling off in my copy. In closing, this is an excellent and affordable buy for the local birdwatcher or a visitor. Harrison and Worfolk's field guide is excellent but one gasps at the price.

Average customer rating:

A really professional handbook

A Field Guide to the Birds of Sri Lanka
John Harrison
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 019854961X

Book Description

The Field Guide to the Birds of Sri Lanka is the first fully comprehensive, modern field guide to this ornithologically fascinating country. All of Sri Lanka's 426 official avian species are described in the text and depicted in 48 stunning new colour plates painted by Tim Worfolk, one of Britain's leading bird artists. The text, accessible to both experienced ornithologists and beginners, highlights the important identification features, such as plumage variations, size, calls and songs, range, distribution, and status, for every species. The plates illustrate the various plumage variations for each bird, and show the birds perched and also in flight, where relevant to their identification. An introduction to the guide describes briefly some of the best sites for watching Sri Lanka's abundant avifauna, and provides useful contact addresses for the prospective traveller. This will be an essential purchase for all birdwatchers travelling to the region; the beautiful plates and clearly-written text will also make it a must-have for anyone who loves birds, and Sri Lankan birds in particular.

Customer Reviews:

A really professional handbook.......2005-05-15

For the current traveller this is probably the best identification guide you can take with you. The distribution maps are a bit generalised but they give a general idea, and changes in distribution and status since the time of such writers like Henry have been updated.

The illustrations throughout are thorough and the book does its best to help you distinguish between similar looking birds. More on vocalisations would have been helpful.

An invaluable and well illustrated reference overall.

A GUIDE TO THE BIRDS OF INDIA, PAKISTAN, NEPAL, BANGLADESH, BHUTAN, SRI LANKA AND THE MALDIVES.

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A GUIDE TO THE BIRDS OF INDIA, PAKISTAN, NEPAL, BANGLADESH, BHUTAN, SRI LANKA AND THE MALDIVES.
R. et al. Grimmett
Manufacturer: Princeton University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000WPJR7U

Average customer rating:

Comprehensive and excellent, but not a field guide
The best guide for the birds of the Indian Subcontinent.
The best available book on birds of Indian subcontinent.

A Guide to the Birds of India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives
Richard Grimmett , Carol Inskipp , and Tim Inskipp
Manufacturer: Princeton University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0691006873

Book Description

Birdwatchers have long waited for a comprehensive and up-to-date identification guide for the Indian subcontinent. This exhaustively researched and beautifully produced book will finally meet that need. Written by three leading experts on the region--Richard Grimmett, Carol Inskipp, and Tim Inskipp--the book provides complete information about the 1,300 species of birds found in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives. The guide is firmly rooted in the authors' extensive field experience, reflected in the accuracy and fullness of their bird descriptions.

The guide features more than 150 color plates by eminent bird illustrators from Europe and India that depict all the species in the region, ranging from the Himalayan Snowcock in the north to the Sri Lanka Spurfowl in the south. The plates include all relevant identifiable subspecies, as well as ages and sexes. The text consists of a detailed identification section, discussing the differences between similar species and containing descriptions of vocalizations, habits, habitat, breeding, distribution, and status. There are distributional maps for nearly all species. And the authors' introduction provides useful background information about such subjects as conservation, the history of ornithology on the subcontinent, and the climate. A detailed bibliography provides an introduction to the prolific literature on the subcontinent.

This is a landmark publication that will be enthusiastically welcomed by all birdwatchers with an interest in the extraordinary variety of birds in this vast and diverse region.

Customer Reviews:

Comprehensive and excellent, but not a field guide.......1999-11-06

Ali and Ripley's masterwork cannot be touched in terms of the completeness of individual descriptions, but this volume is amazing in that it draws together all the subcontinent's spp. into one book. Even so, the tome is too heavy to carry to the field. The taxonomy is updated, as is the species list. The colour illustrations are of a very high quality; my quibble is that the individual species are too small to be very useful. The maps are miniscule and that limits their utility; the use of two colours would have helped under the circumstances. Otherwise, this book is a long-awaited treasure.

The best guide for the birds of the Indian Subcontinent........1999-06-13

Simply the best available guide to the birds of the Indian Subcontinent. Subcontinental birders have long awaited a comphrehensive guide to the birds of this region.

No other guide comes close in quality of drawings, text and range maps. Though too large and heavy to be called a field guide. It is still brought on trips to be reviewed after a day in the field.

We eagerly await the publication of this book as a true 'field guide'- that will be useable in the field.

The best available book on birds of Indian subcontinent........1999-01-27

This is the best one-volume book on the market at this time. It has very good illustrations and good species accounts that include excellent range maps. It is the only book of one volume that covers all the birds of the Indian subcontinent with this quality of illustration. The range maps are very good and there is an adequate amount of information about each bird. It's too heavy to take into the field on your trip to India, but it is an excellent reference.

Average customer rating:

The bible of Sri Lanka ornithology

A Guide to the Birds of Sri Lanka
G. M. Henry , Thilo W. Hoffmann , Deepal Warakagoda , and Upali Ekanayake
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Book Description

This text - the only newly comprehensive source of direct information on the avifauna of Sri Lanka for over 40 years - includes 44 newly recorded species, updated nomenclature and systematic index and additional distributional details.

Customer Reviews:

The bible of Sri Lanka ornithology.......1999-10-20

The bible of Sri Lanka birders; the recent and thoroughly welcome appearance of bird guides to this area notwithstanding. It is a shame, though, that the quality of the colour plates have deteriorated somewhat in the latest edition. A few new spp. have been seen in Sri Lanka in recent years that are missing in Henry, but the other volumes cannot touch this book's thoroughness of description and style. As for the competition: Kotagama - inexpensive and light in weight but the colour plates are wanting; Grimmett et al. - Excellent and comprehensive but heavy and expensive; Harrison and Worfolk - Excellent plates and individual local distribution maps combined with light weight, but expensive. Ali and Ripley's volumes are outstanding but they are not for the field and some vols. are out of print. Legge's venerable work was reprinted in 3 vols. by Tisara Press and may hold some interest to the dedicated enthusiast.

Handbook of the Birds of India and Pakistan: Together with Those of Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka Volume 7: Laughing Thrushes to the Mangrove ... of the Birds of India and Pakistan)

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Handbook of the Birds of India and Pakistan: Together with Those of Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka Volume 7: Laughing Thrushes to the Mangrove ... of the Birds of India and Pakistan)
Salim Ali , and S. Dillon Ripley
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Book Description

Over the years, the Handbook has established itself as the most comprehensive and reliable reference work on the birds of the Indian subcontinent and delighted users by its pithy and lively descriptions. Volume 7, first published in 1972, has been thoroughly revised for this second edition,
with new plates by distinguished bird artist John Henry Dick. Revision of the text relates particularly to distribution but also introduces new and amalgamated sub-species.

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