Pocket Guide: Birds of Botswana

Recognise birds by their calls with this handy package of CD and accompanying book. These will help identify the sounds made by a range of the most common and widely distributed East African bird species.

• CD features 100 bird calls.

• Each species account features full-colour photographs, a distribution map and information on habitat, behaviour, feeding and nesting preferences, as well as a description of the call or song.

This Commemorative edition of Newman’s Birds of Southern Africa at once updates a classic and pays tribute to one of the region’s best loved birding authors, the late Kenneth Newman. With the support of bird expert Faansie Peacock, the author’s daughter, Vanessa Newman, has thoroughly revised, updated and expanded this new edition to reflect the latest research, both in terms of text and illustrations. Covering all the birds recorded from the Antarctic to the Zambezi River, its range includes the birds from the southern seas as well as those of South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Botswana, Swaziland, Lesotho and Mozambique. The familiar, user-friendly format of Newman’s Birds uses colour coding to indicate major bird groups and, as always, large accurate paintings of each species reflect the bird as it is seen in the field, now labeled with diagnostic features. A revised introductory section takes readers step-by-step through how to use this latest edition of Newman’s Birds of Southern Africa in the field.

Also available in Afrikaans as Newman se Voëls van Suider-Afrika.

Die gedenkuitgawe van Newman se Voëls van Suider Afrika is ‘n opdatering van ‘n klassieke voëlboek, asook ‘n huldeblyk aan een van die streek se voëlkenners, Kenneth Newman. Met die ondersteuning van Faansie Peacock (‘n opkomende voëlkenner) het Vanessa Newman (die outeur se dogter) die teks en illustrasies vir die nuwe uitgawe volledig hersien, opgedateer en uitgebrei.

Die titel bevat al die voëls wat waargeneem is tussen Antarktika en die Zambesirivier, en sluit in voëls van die Suidelike Oseaan, Suid-Afrika, Zimbabwe, Namibie, Botswana, Swaziland, Lesotho en Mosambiek. Die bekende, gebruikersvriendelike formaat van Newman se Voëls van Suider Afrika is behou, maar die boek spog met ‘n moderne nuwe voorkoms. Kleurkodes is gebruik vir voëlgroepe en kruisverwysings tussen die teks, en illustrasies is behou.

Die bekende groot, akkurate illustrasies van elke spesie wys die voël soos wat hy in die veld voorkom, en byskrifte tot die illustrasies lig nou hoofkenmerke uit.

‘n Hersiende inleiding wys lesers stap-vir-stap hoe om die nuutste uitgawe van Newman se Voëls van Suider Afrika te gebruik.

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.

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.