Mongolia is a huge landlocked country in the centre of Asia. It encompasses a diverse range of habitats including forests, vast treeless plains, the Altai Mountains and of course the Gobi Desert, and it is becoming an increasingly popular destination for birders. For dozens of steppe species and many others, Mongolia really is the place to go. This new field guide provides full details of every species to be found in the country. Birds of Mongolia, written by Chris Leahy and Gomboo, Mongolia's most famous ornithologist, follows traditional field guide design with plates arranged opposite the text. Detailed maps – a mapping feat never before attempted for Mongolia – accompany the species entries. Birds of Mongolia is an indispensible guide to the country's avifauna; no visiting naturalist can be without it.
Gombobaatar Sundev is a well-known ornithologist, bird conservationist and mentor in Mongolia. He has been working as a professor at the National University of Mongolia and president of the Mongolian Ornithological Society for more than 20 years. He also leads birding and bird photography tours and expeditions for world-class bird scientists and photographers in Mongolia.
His co-author, Chris Leahy, has been a professional conservationist for more than thirty years, and currently holds the Gerard A. Bertrand Chair of Natural History and Field Ornithology at Massachusetts Audubon. He is also an experienced tour leader and has made many visits to Mongolia.
"An important new step for world ornithology"
– Professor Osor Shagdarsuren
"[...] Despite the relatively minor inconsistencies and other minor issues mentioned above, Birds of Mongolia is a very welcome book and the only comprehensive field guide to the birds to Mongolia. It is fit for purpose and undoubtedly the guide that any birder visiting Mongolia should turn to first. I look forward to using it on my next visit!"
– Frank Lambert (26-05-2020), read the full review at The Birder's Library