Birds of Australia Author:Ken Simpson, Nicolas Day Birds of Australia is the most comprehensive guide available to the extraordinary bird life of Australia. In 132 color plates of remarkable beauty and precision, Nicolas Day captures the details of all 770 of the continent's birds. A succinct text by Ken Simpson and other experts in the field addresses key points of identification while t... more »he book's unique handbook section discusses the breeding, behavior, feeding habits, evolution, and taxonomy of each bird family. This sixth edition of Birds of Australia has been completely revised. It includes a full text overhaul in line with the new classification system, 18 new color plates, a completely revised handbook (partly illustrated in color), an extended color section on vagrant birds, over 200 new or redrawn black-and-white illustrations, and new range maps throughout. Birds of Australia is carefully designed for field use. The book's weatherproof plastic binding, illustrated key to families, and field information and range maps adjacent to the plates make it the ideal book for birders to take into Australia's harsh deserts and tropical forests. All readers--avid birders, ornithologists, students, and travelers to Australia--will find Birds of Australia an unrivaled introduction to the natural world of this remarkable continent.« less