Please note that this book was published in Europe as the now out-of-print Collins Field Guide: Birds of the Palearctic - Non-Passerines.
This is one of two companion field guides that illustrate and describe all of the approximately 1800 bird species found in the Palearctic – the huge region that includes Europe, Asia north of the Himalayas, Africa north of the Sahara Desert, and the Middle East excluding the Gulf countries. Birds of Europe, Russia, China, and Japan: Non-Passerines, Loons to Woodpeckers covers non-passerines – non-songbirds, including raptors, owls, swifts, hummingbirds, cuckoos, and pigeons. It includes every non-passerine species and subspecies, in every adult plumage – all illustrated and described by Norman Arlott, a leading bird artist with many years of field experience.
The two volumes of Birds of Europe, Russia, China, and Japan are the only field guides to illustrate and describe every bird species in the Palearctic. And, for many parts of this region, these books provide the first and only field guides.
Norman Arlott, one of the world's leading bird artists, has illustrated close to 100 books, and his artwork regularly appears in magazines. He has led ornithology tours in East Africa, and has designed special bird stamp issues for many countries, including Jamaica, the Bahamas, Gambia, and Malawi.
"[This] book [...] will assuredly lead you to the identity of many of the birds you see, but some will remain a mystery! [...] I would recommend buying the book as a supplement to your other resources if you are planning to visit Europe and Asia."
– Geoff Carpentier, Ontario Birding News
"A must for the travelling birder."
– BBC Wildlife