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Here is the ultimate field guide to Botswana's stunningly diverse birdlife. Covering all 597 species recorded to date, Birds of Botswana features more than 1,200 superb colour illustrations, detailed species accounts, seasonality and breeding bars, and a colour distribution map for each species.
Drawing on the latest regional and national data, Birds of Botswana highlights the best birding areas in Botswana, provides helpful tips on where and when to see key species, and depicts special races and morphs specific to Botswana. This is the first birding guide written by a Botswana-based ornithologist and the only one dedicated specifically to Botswana. Portable and easy to use, Birds of Botswana is the essential travel companion for anyone visiting this remarkable country.
Foreword 7
Acknowledgments 8
Introduction 9
Botswana at a glance 9
Biogeographic context 10
Vegetation and habitat types 11
Overview of Botswana's birds 17
Where to see birds in Botswana 17
How to use this book 20
BirdLife Botswana 22
Glossary 23
Bird Topography 26
Species Accounts 28-383
Struthionidae 28
Numididae 28
Phasianidae 30
Turnicidae 34
Anatidae36
Podicipedidae 46
Phoenicopteridae 48
Ciconiidae 50
Scopidae 54
Threskiornithidae 56
Ardeidae 58
Pelecanidae 70
Phalacrocoracidae 72
Anhingidae 74
Heliornithidae 74
Sagittariidae 76
Pandionidae 76
Accipitridae 78
Falconidae 112
Otididae 120
Gruidae 124
Sarothruridae 126
Rallidae 126
Burhinidae 134
Recurvirostridae 134
Charadriidae 136
Rostratulidae 142
Jacanidae 144
Scolopacidae 146
Glareolidae 158
Stercorariidae 164
Laridae 164
Pteroclidae 170
Columbidae 172
Musophagidae178
Cuculidae 180
Strigidae 190
Tytonidae 196
Caprimulgidae 198
Apodidae 202
Trogonidae 206
Coliidae 208
Coraciidae 210
Alcedinidae 212
Meropidae 218
Upupidae 222
Phoeniculidae 222
Bucerotidae 224
Bucorvidae 226
Lybiidae 228
Indicatoridae 230
Picidae 232
Psittacidae 236
Platysteiridae 238
Prionopidae 240
Eurylaimidae 240
Malaconotidae 242
Dicruridae 248
Campephagidae 248
Monarchidae 250
Laniidae 250
Oriolidae 254
Pittidae 256
Corvidae 256
Stenostiridae 258
Paridae 258
Remizidae 260
Nicatoridae 260
Alaudidae 262
Pycnonotidae 272
Hirundinidae 274
Macrosphenidae 282
Phylloscopidae 282
Acrocephalidae 284
Locustellidae 290
Cisticolidae 290
Leiothrichidae 302
Sylviidae 306
Zosteropidae 308
Certhiidae 308
Sturnidae 310
Buphagidae 316
Turdidae 318
Muscicapidae 320
Nectariniidae 334
Passeridae 338
Ploceidae 344
Estrildidae 356
Viduidae 364
Motacillidae 370
Fringillidae 378
Emberizidae 382
Appendix of Additional Species 384
References 385
Species Index 386
About the Author & Illustrator 398
Peter Hancock is a field biologist whose work as a professional conservationist has taken him to virtually every corner of Botswana over the past twenty-five years. His books include Birds of the Okavango and the Chobe Companion.
Ingrid Weiersbye is a freelance wildlife artist based in South Africa. She is the illustrator and coauthor of Roberts Geographic Variation of Southern African Birds.
"[...] Ingrid Weiersbye is the sole artist and has admirably illustrated the avifauna of the country. It is immediately obvious that she is very familiar with the birds that she has painted. The illustrations are clean, clear and precise, on a white background, with the species separated from each other by thin, straight black lines. [...] Opposite the plates lie the species accounts, with large, clear distribution maps [...] The text, written by Peter Hancock, is thorough and informative, with a great deal of information provided in the relatively small space available. There are generally three or four species per page, occasionally two or five, and at no time does the book feel crowded or pressed for space."
– Nik Borrow, Bulletin of the African Bird Club, 24(1), March 2017
"I found this guide to be of the highest quality. The content is well organized and well written, the scholarship is sound, and the illustrations are excellent."
– Stephanie J. Tyler, BirdLife Botswana
