Birds of Africa: From Seabirds to Seed-Eaters

Rating:
Summary: Good overview of Africa's bird diversity
Review: There are a great number of bird species in Africa. A species-by-species account would take hundreds of pages. Although such volumes do exist, they are often very expensive. In this book, husband and wife naturalists Chris & Tilde Stuart have presented a beautifully illustrated introduction to Africa's bird diversity which is both affordable and informative. The book is neither a field guide nor an academic tome. The authors have divided the book into several chapters, each one on a group of birds that share similar general characteristics--penguins and terns are in the seabird chapter, and hornbills and marabou storks are in another. Within each chapter, the birds are subdivided into families, which adds a nice systematic touch to the book. The text includes details on natural history and biology--I would like to have seen more biological detail and inclusion of more species, but as previously mentioned, the book is intended as an introduction to the birds of Africa, not as an in-depth treatment. Although the text is useful, perhaps the best part of the book is the spectacular colour photographs that adorn every page. The Stuarts' are renowned wildlife photographers, and their talent shines through. For what it sets out to accomplish, Birds of Africa succeeds admirably.