This book celebrates and provides a useful and highly readable
introduction to Africa's magnificent avian diversity. Neither a
field guide nor a biological text, it presents an overview of
African birds and describes and depicts the lives and habits of
almost 2,400 species. The African continent and its associated
islands are home to the world's second largest assemblage of
birds, spanning two of the planet's great faunal kingdoms. The
authors have divided the birds into large groups, with each
chapter focusing on a particular group. Each group shares a
common characteristic easily recognized by the nonspecialist:
preferred habitat, main feeding behavior, or breeding method.
For ease of reference, the bird families comprising each chapter
are discussed in alphabetical order. Although a great deal is
known about the birds of Africa, much still awaits discovery.
Entire species have yet to be described and entered into the
scientific literature; sadly, some birds may become extinct
before they can be properly st