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Collins Bird Guide: The Most Complete Guide to the Birds of Britain and Europe

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Authors: Lars Svensson, Peter J. Grant, Killian Mullarney, Dan Zetterstrom
Creator: David Christie
Publisher: Collins
Category: Book

List Price: ~~Ł24.99~~
Buy New: Ł13.92
You Save: Ł11.07 (44%)

New (19) Used (5) from Ł10.13

Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars

32 reviews
Sales Rank: 14229

Media: Hardcover
Pages: 512
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.8
Dimensions (in): 7.6 x 5.7 x 1.2

ISBN: 0002197286
Dewey Decimal Number: 598
EAN: 9780002197281
ASIN: 0002197286

Publication Date: May 4, 1999
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Condition: Brand new book dispatched from stock in the UK

Also Available In:

•	Hardcover - Collins Bird Guide (Large Format)
•	Paperback - Collins Bird Guide: The Most Complete Guide to the Birds of Britain and Europe
•	Hardcover - Collins Bird Guide: The Most Complete Guide to the Birds of Britain and Europe

Accessories:

•	The Concise Guide to British Birds
•	The CD-ROM Guide to British Birds 7.0 (2 Disk Set)

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•	Collins Tree Guide (Collins)
•	Collins Field Guide: Bird Songs and Calls of Britain and Northern Europe (Contains 2 accompanying CDs)
•	RSPB Pocket Birds (Rspb)
•	The Wild Flower Key (Revised Edition) - How to identify wild plants, trees and shrubs in Britain and Ireland
•	Collins Complete Guide to British Birds: A Photographic Guide to Every Common Species (Complete British Guides)

Customer Reviews: Read 27 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars

Birds - lots of feathers April 13, 2008
I bought this book to identify the little blighters who hop and fly merrily around my garden. It's a great book with good images and text. The only bird book you'll ever need.

5 out of 5 stars

BRILLIANT BOOK! March 25, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful

I cannot recommend this book khighly enough. I have being birding for 25 years and have amassed a collection of c60 bird books on European birds. This is equal to 50 of them TOGETHER! The illustrations and descriptions are excellent. Many books carry detailed descriptions and photographs on birds in winter plumage and then state that they are summer visitors (or vice versa)! This book is invaluable and ever birder should have at least one copy

5 out of 5 stars

First class field guide January 23, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

An excellent field guide with brilliant drawings of all the birds in their different plumages. Really does help when identifying rare birds or ones which you are unsure of.

5 out of 5 stars

Best bird guide ever!!!! October 29, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful

The best field guide I have ever owned. Beautiful illustrations and ideal text (plus illustrations and text on opposite pages!!!). It is also comprehensive and features many 'common' vagrants too. If you are a serious European based birder or wildlife enthusiast then quite simply you need this book.
Its scope and detail may prove off-putting to beginners but trust me its worth every penny!

5 out of 5 stars

The best field guide currently available for the birds of Europe. August 31, 2007
7 out of 7 found this review helpful

In short - if you want an identification guide to European birds this is easily the best available to date.

On the cover it says 'The most complete field guide to the birds of Britain and Europe' and (at least at the present time) this is certainly true. The book is a little large to fit in most pockets - but all birdwatchers should be encouraged to carry a field notebook anyway (leave this book in the car, or at home or your hotel!) - if you do want to carry a guide with you it will fit in some large coat pockets, or easily into a backpack.

The illustrations, which are on the page facing the text and maps for each species, are excellent and show the birds in a variety of different positions (often including in flight), and illustrate all of the different plumages that are likely to be encountered. Important features are highlighted on the ilustrations by means of text captions and pointers.

The text is concise and contains all the most important information on identification and size, including verbal descriptions of songs and calls (often calls confirm an otherwise uncertain bird identification). Anyone who is not used to bird guides, and the birds themselves, will probably find that the phonetics mean very little - however if you have already heard the species being described they form an accurate reminder.

Anyone who uses a PDA may wish to consider the e-guide version, which has all the ilustrations and information from the book + recordings of the birds songs and calls - personally I find a book and CD (or MP3 files) easier!!