| By Gabriel Norevik, Magnus Hellström, Dongping Liu & Bo Petersson | Avium Förlag | 2020 | Hardback | 423 Pages | 1400+ colour photos, b/w illustrations | ISBN: 9789198516579 | £94.99 |
The Publisher’s View:
This generously illustrated handbook covers 62 East Asian passerine species, including many that appear as sought-after vagrants in both Europe and North America. It provides a comprehensive and detailed summary of current knowledge, based on data and photographs of birds in the hand, collected during three years of study in China, primarily at Beidaihe, Hebei province.
The texts are presented in a pedagogical manner and, together with an ample collection of over 1,400 photographs, guide the reader through the process of determining the age and sex of the bird in both autumn and spring. This guide is an essential introduction to the subject for bird ringers in China, and it will also prove indispensable for any birdwatcher with an interest in the ageing and sexing of East Asian passerines.
Other Views
“A landmark in East Asian ornithology, an extremely detailed and useful guide to ageing and sexing of several passerines of this region. Clear layout, pedagogic text profusely illustrated with numerous photographs makes it easy to recommend this book to all interested in bird ringing or identification of rare birds.”
– Lars Svensson
Fatbirder View:
I guess that every bird observatory or ringing station would want to acquire this guide when emptying their nets during Spring and Autumn passage. It covers a number of birds which are regular passage migrants in the UK, other parts of Europe and the USA… so it has a ready readership. Its no small tome but I’m sure the its robust format would work well when bagged birds are being weighed and measure. The photos are really comprehensive and superb. If it wasn’t so niche it would grace a coffee table as it is also a beautiful book printed to the highest standard.
It has an English and Chinese text so useful for Asian ringers too.
Most of us don’t get to see birds in the hand, but these photos are so good that, with some species, at some stages it should be possible for the best birders to recognise some ages on the wing, or at least flitting about the local sycamores.
Fatbirder