STRUIK Nature will be releasing 2 new bird guides, and Amanda van Rhyn of Struik Sales & Marketing sent us the following regarding the upcoming books: 

Pocket Guide: Birds of Southern Africa by Ian Sinclair; ISBN: 978 1 77007 769 0 

This pocket guide will be released in April 2009 and will retail at R99.95; it is a soft cover book, also available in Afrikaans as: Sakgids: Voëls van Suider-Afrika; ISBN: 978 1 77007 770 6  

This book is the latest in Struik Nature’s Pocket Guide series and the 144 pages covers an astonishing 500 southern African birds, yet is small enough to fit in your pocket. It is loaded with information that makes for quick and easy bird identification:

• Colour photographs show each bird, giving both male and female images where there's a difference.
• Concise text pinpoints key identification features.
• Distribution maps locate each species in the region.
• Calendar bars show the months when the birds are more likely to be seen.

·        Bird size and breeding months are indicated.

·        For use at home or when travelling to new climes, this handy pocket guide will be an indispensable companion. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Ian Sinclair is recognised as one of Africa's foremost field ornithologists. He has travelled extensively on the African continent for over 30 years, studying birds. He has authored and co-authored some 18 titles on African birds.  

THE COMPLETE PHOTOGRAPHIC GUIDE: BIRDS OF SOUTHERN AFRICA by Ian Sinclair & Peter Ryan; ISBN: 978-1-77007-388-3

This softcover will be released in June 2009 and will retail at R270.00.

It is also available in Afrikaans as: Volledige Fotografiese Gids: Voëls van Suider-Afrika; ISBN: 978-1-77007-589-4    

The book has 440 pages with more than 2500 colour images. This large-format photographic field guide to southern African birds comprises the biggest and most comprehensive collection of photographs of the region's birds in one volume. It describes and illustrates all 958 bird species found in southern Africa, and an additional 17 species recorded from the Southern Ocean and associated islands, and Antarctica.  

• Over 2 500 images show age and sex plumage variations, perched and in-flight birds, and colour morphs where relevant.

• Text - by Africa's top birding authors - focuses on identification, call, habitat and status, breeding details and diet.

• Colour-coded distribution maps give resident and migratory status, and bird density and also reflect latest distribution and bird densities. 

• Annual seasonality bars show at a glance when species are present and when they breed.

• A-Z directory provides quick guide to locating groups. • Group introductions provide additional clues to identification.

• Distribution maps reflect latest distribution and bird densities.  

This comprehensive guide follows traditional species sequence. It brings a new dimension to bird identification in southern Africa and will prove indispensable in the field. 

THE AUTHORS: 

Ian Sinclair is one of Africa’s foremost field experts, and has travelled extensively on the African continent for over 30 years, studying birds. He has written numerous bird books, best known of which are Sasol Birds of Southern Africa, Field Guide: Birds of Southern Africa and Birds of Africa south of the Sahara. 

Peter Ryan is an Associate Professor at the University of Cape Town's Percy FitzPatrick Institute of Ornithology, working on the biology and conservation of seabirds and the evolution of island birds. An excellent wildlife photographer, he has written seven books, including co-authoring Birds of Africa south of the Sahara and the 7th edition of Roberts' Birds of Southern Africa. 

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