100 Common Bird Calls in East Africa

Peacocks & Picathartes is a celebration of the diversity of African birds, focusing on families that occur only in Africa as well as iconic families and species that, despite having close relatives in other parts of the world, seem to embody something of Africa.

Watson’s anecdotal style captures vividly his encounters with prized species, such the secretive White-necked Picathartes and the elusive Congo Peacock. He conveys the sheer delight mousebirds take in ‘being what they are’, and reveals the surprise discovery in 1991 of a new partridge in Tanzania’s Udzungwa Mountains.

Drawing on precolonial and current-day avian accounts, he offers his own insights based on a lifetime of personal observations in the wilds of Africa – recounting unforgettable expeditions, quirky bird behaviour, jittery taxonomy, moments of rare good luck – and much more. Both informative and entertaining, this book captures the essence of African birdlife, and will appeal to bird enthusiasts across the spectrum.

Identify bird calls with this handy guide and CD, which together feature 500 distinctive southern African species. The CD gives the best-known song or call of each species; the book provides clear and accessible text, with a brief account for each species, including a description of the song, associated behaviour, similar-sounding species, the bird’s favoured habitat type, and a distribution map.

The introduction describes interesting aspects of bird vocalisations, the differences between true songbirds and non-songbirds and why calls often change with the seasons and time of day.