Collins Bird Guide
Encyclopedia
The Collins Bird Guide is a field guide
to the bird
s of the Western Palearctic.
Its authors are Lars Svensson
, Killian Mullarney
, Dan Zetterström
and Peter J. Grant
, and it is illustrated by Killian Mullarney and Dan Zetterström (with two plates of North America
n passerine
s contributed by Larry McQueen). It has been described as "undoubtedly the finest field guide that has ever been produced", and "the last great bird book of the 20th century".
It was originally published in Swedish
in 1999, and in English in hardback in the same year, and later in paperback. A large-format English edition has also been produced, as has a German edition. A second edition, revised and enlarged, was published in January 2010.
The guide covers Europe
, North Atlantic islands, much of North Africa
and the Middle East
.
Eleven pages of introductory material are followed by the book's main content: 366 pages of text and colour paintings. The text for each species gives brief status notes, followed by a section detailing identification, and concludes with a section on voice. Accompanying most species accounts is a small colour map showing breeding, wintering and migrant range.
Most of the species covered in the main part of the book are regular breeding, wintering or migrant species in the book's area of coverage, although some vagrants are also included. There are additional sections giving brief accounts of (a) vagrants and (b) introduced breeding species and species recorded only as escapes.
Field guide
A field guide is a book designed to help the reader identify wildlife or other objects of natural occurrence . It is generally designed to be brought into the 'field' or local area where such objects exist to help distinguish between similar objects...
to the bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s of the Western Palearctic.
Its authors are Lars Svensson
Lars Svensson (ornithologist)
Lars Svensson is a Swedish ornithologist, who received an honorary degree from the Uppsala University in 2004. He specialises in the identification of passerine birds...
, Killian Mullarney
Killian Mullarney
Killian Mullarney is an Irish ornithologist, bird artist and bird tour leader. He designed a series of Irish definitive stamps for An Post illustrating Irish birds issued between 1997 and 2004....
, Dan Zetterström
Dan Zetterström
Dan Zetterström is a Swedish ornithologist and bird artist. He is best known as a co-author of the highly acclaimed Collins Bird Guide, with Killian Mullarney, Lars Svensson and Peter J. Grant...
and Peter J. Grant
Peter J. Grant
Peter James Grant was a British ornithologist.He co-wrote, with Killian Mullarney, the booklet "The New Approach to Identification".He wrote and revised "Gulls, an identification guide"....
, and it is illustrated by Killian Mullarney and Dan Zetterström (with two plates of North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
n passerine
Passerine
A passerine is a bird of the order Passeriformes, which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds or, less accurately, as songbirds, the passerines form one of the most diverse terrestrial vertebrate orders: with over 5,000 identified species, it has roughly...
s contributed by Larry McQueen). It has been described as "undoubtedly the finest field guide that has ever been produced", and "the last great bird book of the 20th century".
It was originally published in Swedish
Swedish language
Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
in 1999, and in English in hardback in the same year, and later in paperback. A large-format English edition has also been produced, as has a German edition. A second edition, revised and enlarged, was published in January 2010.
The guide covers Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, North Atlantic islands, much of North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
and the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
.
Eleven pages of introductory material are followed by the book's main content: 366 pages of text and colour paintings. The text for each species gives brief status notes, followed by a section detailing identification, and concludes with a section on voice. Accompanying most species accounts is a small colour map showing breeding, wintering and migrant range.
Most of the species covered in the main part of the book are regular breeding, wintering or migrant species in the book's area of coverage, although some vagrants are also included. There are additional sections giving brief accounts of (a) vagrants and (b) introduced breeding species and species recorded only as escapes.