Birds of Prey of Australia

Enlarge cover

A Field Guide

Third Edition By: Stephen Debus

eBook - July 2019 - eRetailers

Provides a field guide to Australia's iconic raptors and a handbook of our current knowledge.

Raptors are popular and iconic birds, and are important ecologically, with some species listed as threatened. Yet they are among the most difficult birds to identify. This fully updated third edition of the popular and award-winning field guide Birds of Prey of Australia contains two sections: a field guide with distribution maps, detailed illustrations and information on identification; and a handbook which includes an overview of the current knowledge about raptors, including their biology, ecology and behaviour. An illustrated section on difficult-to-distinguish species pairs is also included, along with new photographs. + Full description

Birds of Prey of Australia will appeal to a wide range of readers, including ornithologists, raptor biologists, birdwatchers, wildlife rescuers/carers, raptor rehabilitators, zookeepers, naturalists, bushwalkers, ecological consultants, fauna authorities, park rangers, state forestry personnel and students.

- Short description

News

Head to our blog to read our Q&A with author Stephen Debus about his experiences with birds of prey.

Reviews

"This book is a very thorough and well-organized field guide that I would consider essential for anyone interested in identifying Australian raptors."
William E. Davis, The Wilson Journal of Ornithology 131(4), December 2019

"The third is easily the best of the three editions and I cannot imagine anyone not being very happy with their purchase."
Harvey Perkins, Canberra Bird Notes 44(2), July 2019

"The third edition of the field guide is an essential acquisition for any ecologist or naturalist with a fascination for Australian raptors."
William Riddell, Australian Field Ornithology 36, 2019

"Overall this is a very well-presented, conveniently sized, information-dense guide... It will undoubtedly aid the correct identification and appreciation of this enigmatic group of Australian birds, and thus contribute to their vital conservation as well."
Plaxy Barratt, Western Australian Bird Notes No. 171, September 2019

Details

Paperback | July 2019 | $ 44.99
ISBN: 9781486311118 | 224 pages | 215 x 148 mm
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Colour photographs, Colour plates, Illustrations, Maps

ePDF | July 2019
ISBN: 9781486311125
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Available from eRetailers

ePUB | July 2019
ISBN: 9781486311132
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Available from eRetailers

Features

Updated edition of this popular and award-winning field guide
'Bible' of raptor identification, providing current knowledge on the ecology and biology of these species
New and improved photos
Companion to the recently released Australian Birds of Prey in Flight, which aids identification of soaring raptors

BirdLife Australia
Preface to the first edition
Preface to the second edition
Preface to the third edition
About the author
About the illustrator
Introduction: Birds of prey
PART I: FIELD GUIDE
Species descriptions
Vagrants
Difficult species-pairs
PART II: HANDBOOK
Osprey
Small kites
Pernine kites
Large kites and sea-eagles
Goshawks and sparrowhawks
Australasian endemic hawks
Harriers
Booted eagles
Falcons
Threats, conservation and the future
Glossary
Bibliography
Index

Authors

Stephen Debus has studied or observed all 24 of Australia’s resident raptor species during the past 40 years, almost half of them intensively and some over many years. Awarded BirdLife Australia’s D.L. Serventy Medal for ornithological publication, his many works include the definitive field guide to this difficult group of birds.

Other books by Stephen Debus include Australian Birds of Prey in Flight (co-author, 2019) and Australasian Eagles and Eagle-like Birds (2017).