Handbook of the Birds of India and Pakistan: Together with Those of Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka Volume 4: Frogmouths to Pittas

Handbook of the Birds of India and Pakistan #4

by Sálim Ali, S. Dillon Ripley

This monumental ten-volume series, the first volume of which was published in 1996, is the most comprehensive and reliable reference work on the birds of the Indian subcontinent. A thoroughly revised second edition with new plates, text revisions, and the addition of new subspecies, it includes information about long-range migration and taxonomic changes, along with life history information, accounts of behavior, ecology, and distribution and migration records.
Anyone with an interest in wildlife on the Indian subcontinent, will find these volumes to be an extraordinary resource.

284 pages, Hardcover

First published August 2, 1984

About the author

Sálim Moizuddin Abdul Ali (12 November 1896 – 20 June 1987) was an Indian ornithologist and naturalist. Sometimes referred to as the "birdman of India", Salim Ali was among the first Indians to conduct systematic bird surveys across India and wrote several bird books that popularised ornithology in India. He became a key figure behind the Bombay Natural History Society after 1947 and used his personal influence to garner government support for the organisation, create the Bharatpur bird sanctuary (Keoladeo National Park) and prevent the destruction of what is now the Silent Valley National Park. Along with Sidney Dillon Ripley he wrote the landmark ten volume Handbook of the Birds of India and Pakistan, a second edition of which was completed after his death. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1958 and the Padma Vibhushan in 1976, India's third and second highest civilian honours respectively. Several species of birds, a couple of bird sanctuaries and institutions have been named after him.