Of the Same Breath opens the door to a better understanding of why and how the animals and places of southern Africa have been given the names they have today. The vast reaches of the information provided in this book have been drawn together to create a veritable cornucopia of answers to the old question of how names originated. In this linguistically thought-provoking book, readers will be guided through the origins of animal names and toponyms, from the coastline of South Africa to the northern border of Namibia, and from the mighty elephant to the humble grasshopper.
Universally recognised as by far the most authoritative work ever published on the subject, The Birds of Africa is a superb multi-contributor reference work, with encyclopaedic species texts, stunning paintings of all species and numerous subspecies, hundreds of informative line drawings, detailed range maps, and extensive bibliographies. Each volume contains an Introduction that brings the reader up to date with the latest developments in African ornithology, including the evolution and biogeography of African birds. Diagnoses of the families and genera, often with superspecies maps, are followed by the comprehensive species accounts themselves. These include descriptions of range and status, field characters, voice, general habits, food, and breeding habits. Full bibliographies, acoustic references, and indexes complete this scholarly work of reference. This first volume in the series deals comprehensively with Ostrich, albatrosses, petrels and shearwaters, storm-petrels, penguins, divers, grebes, tropicbirds, boobies, cormorants, darter, pelicans, frigatebirds, herons, Hamerkop, storks, Shoebill, ibises and spoonbills, flamingos, swans, geese and ducks, and diurnal birds of prey. The editors and artists have worked closely with other authors - all acknowledged experts in their field - to produce a superb reference in which comprehensive texts on every species are complemented by accurate and detailed paintings and drawings of the birds themselves.
The perfect predator of the night sky is explored with enthusiasm and passion in this updated edition of a classic reference on African owls. Delving into the lives of 12 species of owls found throughout southern Africa, each avian has its own chapter with beautiful photographs liberally filling the pages. The informative and detailed descriptions cover a range of knowledge--from the history of each species to their mating, breeding, and eating habits.
This reference guide gives general details about the swallows and martins of the world. These include appearance, the basic coloration and differences between the sexes and immatures and the function of other areas of colouring. Several species within the same geographical area are often segregated by feeding in different habitats or at different heights or by eating different size-classes of insects. The two sub-families, one being the two river martins, the other containing about 72 species mainly in the genus hirundo, are dealt with, including their distribution and migration patterns. Feeding, courtship and breeding habits are considered, together with details of nesting sites, clutch size, incubation and life-span. Finally, the population sizes of the various species are examined, noting that whilst many have expanded their range by using man-made structures, forest species probably remain small and one species, the Red Sea swallow is known from only one specimen. The book follows the same approach, style and presentation as The Herons Handbook published in 1985. It is illustrated by the winner of the prestigious British Birds Illustrator of the Year Award and the author has contributed to many scientific papers and journals including BBC's Wildlife Magazine.
The book covers the identification, biology and relationships of all true shrikes, bush-shrikes, helmet-shrikes, the closely related shrike flycatchers, philentomas, batises and wattle-eyes. This book offers information on 114 species in 21 genera within the families Laniidae and Malaconotidae. For each genus, acoustic and visual signals are summarized and used to map similarities. The detailed species account for the bulk of the book, providing knowledge on field identification, plumage descriptions, geographical variation, moult, distribution, movements. general and foraging behaviour, food, sounds and breeding behaviour.
Revealing fascinating insights into the mysterious lives of birds native to the mother continent, this remarkable guide exhibits the many vibrantly colorful species found in the South African bush. Providing an in-depth discourse on all aspects of bird life--detailing their myriad forms, survival strategies in a harsh landscape, breeding and feeding behaviors, movements, migrations, preferred habitat, unique behavioral patterns, and vocalizations--this comprehensive manual also expertly advises on how to easily and accurately identify each individual species. Populated with more than 900 brilliantly vivid photographs and exhaustively researched to fill the gap in existing literature and field guides, this essential reference will delight nature lovers, tourists, birdwatchers, and bush lovers alike.
