A Field Guide to the Birds of the Indian Subcontinent

Rating:
Summary: The Excellent work on Indian Ornethology
Review: It's an outstanding book for the birds of indian sub continent, I found it great in field especially. The illustaration by Ber van Perlo are excellent. And the text is so brief and informative for the use in field identification.

Rating:
Summary: Handy Field Guide
Review: Of the several field guides to Indian birds, this is certainly one of the best researched, illustrated and sleekly designed books. The pictorial index in the inside cover page is brilliant and a great help for birders out in the field. Distribution maps are easy to locate and acurate.

One would have liked to have a little more descriptive write ups on each bird, but the need to keep the size of the book manageable might perhaps have prompted the authers keep them short and sweet. However, due to the criptic and short descriptions in the book I find myself carrying two instead of one book in my backpack, Kazmierczak as a ready reference and Salim Ali for details.

Illustrations are the best among all field guides available to date.

Overall, a good and necessary addition to one's collection of bird books of Indian Region.

Rating:
Summary: wonderful--but not a field guide
Review: The plates are delightful and the descriptions of habitat, song, geographical distribution etc are well done and accurate. However, what is needed is a FIELD guide! Why not base the book on Peterson guides and make it fit in the pocket. As it is you have to cut out the plates with a razor blade to make it into a field guide--or leave it at home. This is true for most bird guides, whether it be Costa Rica or Ecuador--or India. What we need is a book we can use in the field. Since 90% of birding is done with guides we do not need all the other stuff!!

Rating:
Summary: wonderful--but not a field guide
Review: The plates are delightful and the descriptions of habitat, song, geographical distribution etc are well done and accurate. However, what is needed is a FIELD guide! Why not base the book on Peterson guides and make it fit in the pocket. As it is you have to cut out the plates with a razor blade to make it into a field guide--or leave it at home. This is true for most bird guides, whether it be Costa Rica or Ecuador--or India. What we need is a book we can use in the field. Since 90% of birding is done with guides we do not need all the other stuff!!