Questa nuova guida da campo permette di identificare gli uccelli dal loro modo di volare, di alimentarsi o di stare in gruppo. La maggior parte delle guide tradizionali consente di riconoscere gli uccelli dal loro colore e da altre caratteristiche fisiche. E se la visuale non fosse buona abbastanza da permettere un'identificazione certa? Fungendo da complemento alle guide classiche, questo manuale di Dominic Couzens è stato ideato per fornire una risposta definitiva a queste situazioni. Cinque tra i migliori artisti naturalistici sono stati appositamente incaricati di illustrare gli uccelli come voi li vedete comportarsi realmente in natura. Suddiviso in base alle famiglie, Riconoscere gli uccelli dal comportamento vi aiuterà a distinguere specie differenti in base alle dimensioni e alle forme, oltre che dall'ambiente in cui vivono e dal loro modo di comportarsi. In questo modo si incoraggia il lettore ad osservare in maniera più attiva e a concentrarsi su quello che l'uccello fa. Ogni sezione inizia con una panoramica sugli habitat e sulla distribuzione, per poi concentrarsi sui diversi aspetti del comportamento degli uccelli. In questo modo si ottiene una comparazione diretta tra specie facilmente confondibili. Questo libro non è solamente un aiuto all'identificazione, ma fornisce inoltre una visione unica e approfondita del comportamento degli uccelli.

Britain's Mammals is a comprehensive and beautifully designed photographic field guide to all the mammals recorded in Britain and Ireland in recent times--including marine mammals, bats and introduced species. The book features hundreds of stunning photographs and incorporates invaluable tips and suggestions to help you track down and identify even the most difficult species.

This easy-to-use book provides an introduction to the different types of mammal, and concise species accounts that include details of habitat, daily and yearly activity rhythms, feeding behaviour, sounds, breeding biology and general habits. It also contains descriptions of key field signs--including tracks, scats and nests--that give away the presence of mammals even when they are out of sight. In addition, guidance is provided on ways of studying and observing mammals--including small-mammal trapping, bat detecting and whale watching--as well as mammal conservation and the law and sources of further useful information. Handy and informative, this guide is the ideal companion for anyone interested in watching mammals in Britain and Ireland.

• Covers every species of mammal in Britain and Ireland
• Hundreds of superb colour photographs
• Descriptions of mammals as you are likely to see them
• Helpful tips for identifying tracks and other signs you may find in the field
• Advice on finding and watching mammals

Throughout the bird world, examples of strange and seemingly inexplicable behaviours abound. For example:

Why do male Fairywrens bring flowers to females as a nuptial gift in the pre-dawn darkness? Especially when the gift-givers are not the official mates of the females concerned, but visitors, and furthermore they may give these gifts in full view of the official mate.

Why do gangs of White-winged Choughs 'kidnap' their neighbors' fledglings and then keep them in their 'gang'?

Which bird is so big, strong and fierce that stories abound of it killing humans? This book looks at accounts of murderous Cassowaries and explains just what might have happened.

What happens in an albatross 'divorce'?

This book divides the world by continent and takes a series of extraordinary stories from each to illustrate a great diversity of bird behavior, each examining the truths and the mythology behind each example. An intriguing book from an author with a remarkable ability to engage with his audience.

Birds: ID Insights is ideal for birders of all levels. Its unique layout, which compares the plumages of similar pairs and groups of species, makes it perfect for identifying the more difficult birds found in Britain and other parts of northwestern Europe. It has more images showing how to age birds than any comparable guide, and its handy compact size makes it practical for taking out into the field.

The book is based on a long-running series of identification features in BirdWatching magazine. Author Dominic Couzens and artist David Nurney have spent years compiling the field notes and artworks for this series, and here their efforts are drawn together and made complete in a single volume that is easy to carry into the field and practical for birders to use.

In addition, they have expanded the species list from the magazine series and added many new birds, including the likes of Subalpine Warbler, Short-toed Lark, and Red-rumped Swallow. In total, the book covers more than 230 species, with easy-to-identify species such as Magpie and Kingfisher given minimal coverage so that the more difficult ID issues can be covered as fully as possible.

This guide is a celebration of the beauty of birds and the British and Irish countryside. Aimed at beginner and intermediate birders, yet suitable for all levels, this new volume in the groundbreaking Crossley ID Guide series is the most user-friendly guide to the birds of Britain and Ireland. Following The Crossley ID Guides' award-winning design, this book looks at all regularly occurring species in Britain and Ireland, and shows readers how to identify birds in their natural habitats using size, structure, shape, probability, and behavior--just like the experts do! Stunning images are accompanied by the colorful and compelling text of Dominic Couzens, one of Britain's leading nature writers.

This unique book treats more than 300 species--all the regularly occurring birds likely to be encountered by observers--and the guide's attractive pages provide a real-life approach to bird identification. Beautiful, in-focus scenes present birds in various plumages and in lifelike poses set in identifiable British and Irish habitats. The plates also illustrate how a bird's appearance changes with distance. Organizing images in cohesive, easy-to-understand plates rather than as separate photographs, this book also sets itself apart by containing more images that demonstrate flight, behavior, habitat, and plumages than any other volume available. Not only is this field guide a reference book, it is also a spectacular teaching resource that makes it easy for nature enthusiasts to see and appreciate the big picture of bird identification.

• The most user-friendly guide to the birds of Britain and Ireland
• A close look at more than 300 regularly occurring species
• Award-winning Crossley ID Guide design
• Lifelike images of birds from near to far
• A celebration of the British and Irish countryside
• A teaching and field guide and essential reference
• Concise and compelling text by Dominic Couzens and Richard Crossley

"A wonderful collection of bird superlatives. . . . Fascinating facts and beautiful photographs make this one a winner."
-- Library Journal

Extreme Birds is a photographic showcase of 150 birds at the extremes of nature. It reveals nature's ingenuity and sometimes its sense of humor. The species in this book were chosen for their extraordinary characteristics and for behaviors far beyond the typical. They are the biggest, the fastest, the meanest, the smartest. They build the most intricate nests, they have the most peculiar mating rituals, they dive the deepest and they fly the highest. These are the overachievers of the avian world.

Some examples:

• Most skilled nest builder: The tiny southern masked weaver reveals a surprising grasp of the principles of architecture. In just five days it weaves and knots thousands of fine grass strands to build a complex sphere-like nest that hangs from the tip of an overhead branch.
• Deadliest enemy: The southern cassowary is big (140 pounds), tall (6 feet) and fast (30 mph). This flightless bird can also leap 5 feet into the air and has 5-inch long claws that are capable of stabbing and disemboweling a human being.
• Most creative decorator: The blue bower bird creates an elaborate "bachelor pad" bower and decorates it with colorful baubles. Blue is preferred, and the shinier the better.

Enlivened with entertaining facts and anecdotes, Extreme Birds is an engaging celebration of nature's tremendous imagination. It will appeal to all readers, especially birders and naturalists.

The ultimate guide to some of the rarest birds in existence, from the Hooded Grebe and Nechisar Nightjar to the Seychelles Magpie-robin and the California Condor. Illustrated with detailed distribution maps and remarkable photographs and artwork. Atlas of Rare Birds is a must-have for ornithologists, birdwatchers, and conservationists everywhere.

This book offers a guide to some of the rarest birds in existence, with maps that show where to find them. Focusing on fifty captivating stories of the very rare, it describes remarkable discoveries of species not seen for centuries, back-from-the-brink-of-extinction successes such as the Seychelles Magpie-robin and the California Condor, and birds in sudden danger such as the Sooty Falcon. The book is organized around key groups of species, with each species the subject of its own mini-chapter. We learn about the five most amazing tales of island endemics, the five most bizarre cases of a bird becoming threatened, and other astonishing tales of bird life.

Atlas of Rare Birds is an accessible, readable, and visually appealing take on the serious subject of threatened birds and possible extinctions-a timely topic because of increasing concerns about climate change and habitat destruction. The atlas format---featuring 200 color photographs and 61 color maps---shows the global nature of the problem and brings together the many strands of the concerted bird conservation effort taking place on every continent.

Atlas of Rare Birds is published in association with BirdLife International, the world's largest global alliance of bird conservation organizations.

King penguins in Antarctica, cassowaries in Queensland, cocks-of-the rock in Peru. This gorgeous book describes the one hundred best bird-watching sites on the planet. Introductory sections give an overview of each continent or region, and then each site is listed and ranked on a country-by-country basis. The entries all include a full description, a list of key species, a map, and information on the best time of year to visit. Lavish color photographs capture rare and elusive species as well as some of the world's best avian spectacles, such as the snow goose blizzard at Bosque del Apache and the flocks of lesser flamingos on Africa's Rift Valley lakes. Many birding sites are included for their unique avifauna, endemics, and oddities--the Seychelles, Andasibe in Madagascar, Taveuni in Fiji, and the Alaka`i wilderness in Hawaii, among others. With its truly global coverage--of the huge flocks of wintering geese in Britain and the United States, the cranes in both Japan and France, the "river of raptors" passage at Veracruz in Mexico, and much more--this book will inform and inspire anyone who plans to visit, or who dreams of visiting, these extraordinary locations.
Copub: New Holland Publishers (UK) Ltd.

A photographic showcase of 150 birds at the extremes of nature.

Extreme Birds reveals nature's ingenuity and sometimes its sense of humor. The species showcased in this book are chosen for their extraordinary characteristics and for behaviors far beyond the typical. They are the biggest, the fastest, the meanest, the smartest. They build the most intricate nests, they have the most peculiar mating rituals, and they dive the deepest or fly the highest. These are the overachievers of the avian world.

Some examples:

• Most skilled nest builder: The tiny southern masked weaver reveals a surprising grasp of the principles of architecture. In just five days it weaves and knots thousands of fine grass strands to build a complex sphere-like nest that hangs from the tip of an overhead branch.
• Deadliest enemy: The southern cassowary is big (140 pounds), tall (6 feet) and fast (30 mph). This flightless bird can also leap 5 feet into the air and has 5-inch long claws that are capable of stabbing and disemboweling a human being.
• Most creative decorator: The blue bower bird creates an elaborate "bachelor pad" bower and decorates it with colorful baubles, blue preferred and the shinier the better.

Enlivened with entertaining facts and anecdotes, Extreme Birds is an engaging celebration of nature's enormous imagination and will appeal to all readers, especially birders and naturalists.