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RSPB Complete Birds of Britain and Europe
Meet the birds of Britain and Europe with the RSPB - Europe's largest conservation organisation. Whether you are an armchair addict, or a bird-watching pioneer this guide and 70-minute CD are essential reference. Use them to discover all about the 800 species regularly found in Britain and Europe as well as rarer varieties. This work lets you see birds in their natural habitat and learn about characteristic behaviour. It features stunning photos that show adults in typical plumage, with male, female, juvenile and summer or winter variations helping you to identify birds in the field quickly and easily. It helps you explore up-to-date, colour-coded maps highlighting resident and migratory distributions so you know which species to expect when you are out and about. Every fact and image is fully authenticated by the RSPB making this a must-have for bird enthusiasts of all levels.
488 pages, Hardcover
First published May 2, 2002
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
December 19, 2021
Great reference book with clear photos and information on each bird. Statistics, voice, nesting, feeding, map of occurrence, clear photo in flight and perched and flight pattern on each bird. Each bird also has some similar looking birds featured at the bottom which makes identification easy. This makes the ideal gift for a bird lover or those wanting to identify birds and get to know more about them.
January 15, 2020
Another excellent, informative guide from Rob Hume. Full of coloured, labelled photos and some sketches (mostly for in-flight purposes). Lots of information on different species of UK and European birds: where they are found; full descriptions; life cycles; lifespan; appearance in-flight; voice calls and nesting and feeding habits. 450+ pages of helpful and interesting information, including how the book works; a detailed introduction and at the back, a section on Vagrants, Index and Glossary. Great guide for this amateur bird watcher.
October 24, 2021
Just slightly too big and bulky for a pocket guide, but Rob Hume's 'RSPB Birds of Britain and Europe' can't be faulted for its quality as a reference. Each page consists of clear photographs of the species, with summer and winter plumages, in-flight markings, habitat, songs, lifespan and similar species. In short, this book packs quite a punch. As it states on the sleeve, it contains every bird you are likely to see.
Also includes over 200 less common birds as well as over 300 rare species. A twitchers delight.
Also includes over 200 less common birds as well as over 300 rare species. A twitchers delight.
April 2, 2021
Useful field guide, not pocket size, but lighter than binoculars.
October 30, 2016
i was given this book for my birthday by my parents who were appalled that the only bird book I now owned was an e-book on my kindle (RSPB Handbook of British Birds). It is a really handy book to have. I thought I would compare the two.
BIRD IDENTIFICATION:
It is so much easier to look up and identify with the concise information (one bird to a page) and many clear prominent illustrations. The handbook of British birds has longer chapters with the illustration at end, it certainly provides more detailed information which i very much appreciate but it is more difficult to identify unknown birds. being able to physically flick through the pages of the book helps with this too, you can do this on the kindle to an extent but it is just not the same. There are some good comparison pages in here too, showing groups of birds, such as finches or wagtails, which really aids identification.
BIRDSONG:
The bird song cd is a great idea too but having the sound files at the top of the chapters in the kindle edition of the handbook of British birds is really wonderful and makes it so easy to check for reference - even when in the field.
INFORMATION:
it is strictly one bird per page in this book and a lot of the space is taken up with the excellent pictures and distribution maps - there is only room for a little extra information - this is really where the handbook of British birds excel.
SPECIES COVERED:
obviously - this being birds of Britain and Europe there are a lot more species in here the handbook of british birds. Whether this is a benefit or a hinderance really depends on whether you intend to bird watch throughout Europe. The clear maps make it easy to check the distribution of each species but if you only intend to bird watch in britain then a book without the continental species would be easier to handle.
CONCLUSION:
I am pretty happy to have both these books, I am yet to come across a bird book that is as easy to use on an e-reader as it is as an actual book but there are some advantages. I will use both as they suit. If I had to pick just one it would probably be this one - it is just so easy to use.
BIRD IDENTIFICATION:
It is so much easier to look up and identify with the concise information (one bird to a page) and many clear prominent illustrations. The handbook of British birds has longer chapters with the illustration at end, it certainly provides more detailed information which i very much appreciate but it is more difficult to identify unknown birds. being able to physically flick through the pages of the book helps with this too, you can do this on the kindle to an extent but it is just not the same. There are some good comparison pages in here too, showing groups of birds, such as finches or wagtails, which really aids identification.
BIRDSONG:
The bird song cd is a great idea too but having the sound files at the top of the chapters in the kindle edition of the handbook of British birds is really wonderful and makes it so easy to check for reference - even when in the field.
INFORMATION:
it is strictly one bird per page in this book and a lot of the space is taken up with the excellent pictures and distribution maps - there is only room for a little extra information - this is really where the handbook of British birds excel.
SPECIES COVERED:
obviously - this being birds of Britain and Europe there are a lot more species in here the handbook of british birds. Whether this is a benefit or a hinderance really depends on whether you intend to bird watch throughout Europe. The clear maps make it easy to check the distribution of each species but if you only intend to bird watch in britain then a book without the continental species would be easier to handle.
CONCLUSION:
I am pretty happy to have both these books, I am yet to come across a bird book that is as easy to use on an e-reader as it is as an actual book but there are some advantages. I will use both as they suit. If I had to pick just one it would probably be this one - it is just so easy to use.
May 14, 2018
Kvalitná kniha na určovanie vtákov, o čosi lepšia ako "Vtáky - Ottov sprievodca prírodou". Obsahuje viacej infomácii (napr. mapky rozšírení) a detailnejší popis najviac sa vyskytujúcich druhov (stredná Európa). Je dostupná v slovenskom jazyku (Vtáky Európy, Ikar 2016 - na prebale je haja, nie labuť). Nevýhodou sú väčsie rozmery a tvrdý obal - nehodí sa až tak na určovanie v teréne. Takisto niektoré z menej rozšírených druhov/poddruhov vyskytujúcich sa u nás - východná Európa - sú popísané menej detailne. Solídna pomôcka na doma, pre človeka hovoriaceho po slovensky.
December 1, 2010
This is a very good with really clear photo and the text is also laid out nice and clear to read.
April 2, 2012
Detailed information with clear photographs
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews