AUSTRALIAN FAUNA Ornithology Birdwatching –

Provides a ready summary of biological information on Australian raptors, and a lead-in to the latest scientific literature on them

This book is an illustrated field guide to diurnal raptors, a bird group that many people find among the most difficult birds to identify. Raptors are popular and iconic birds, and important ecologically as well as in legislation, with some species listed as threatened. Birds of Prey of Australia will enable people to more easily identify them. It also provides a brief overview of the biology of raptors and an indication of the current state of knowledge on them.

The book has been completely revised and updated, with 15 years of new data, a section on difficult species-pairs (split-images providing direct contrast), and rearranged in modern field-guide format, making it easy to use and enabling rapid identification of “difficult” raptors.

The Birds of Prey of Australia summarises the features and biology of Australian birds of prey, which include some of the most spectacular birds found in this region. Eagles, falcons, goshawks, harriers, and kites all feature in this handy and fully illustrated book, which has been written for ordinary bird-lovers, naturalists, and ornithologists.

Full contents:

• 1. Birds of prey
• 2. Osprey Pandion haliaetus
• 3. Small kites, genus Elanus. Black-shouldered Kite Elanus axillaris. Letter-winged Kite Elanus scriptus
• 4. Australian endemic hawks, genera Lophoictinia, Hamirostra, Erythrotriorchis. Square-tailed Kite Lophoictinia isura. Black-breasted Buzzard Hamirostra melanosternon. Red Goshawk Erythrotriorchis radiatus
• 5. Bazas, genus Aviceda. Pacific Baza (Crested Hawk) Aviceda subcristata
• 6. Large kites and sea-eagles. Black Kite (Fork-tailed Kite) Milvus migrans. Whistling Kite Haliastur sphenurus. Brahminy Kite Haliastur indus. White-bellied Sea-Eagle Haliaeetus leucogaster
• 7. Harriers, genus Circus. Spotted Harrier Circus assimilis. Swamp Harrier Circus approximans. Eastern Marsh-Harrier Circus spilonotus
• 8. Goshawks and sparrowhawks, genus Accipiter. Brown Goshawk Accipiter fasciatus. Grey Goshawk Accipiter novachollandiae. Collared Sparrowhawk Accipiter cirrhocephalus
• 9. Booted eagles, genera Aquila and Hieraaetus.
• Wedge-tailed Eagle Aquila audax. Gurney’s Eagle Aquila gurneyi. Little Eagle Hieraaetus morphnoides
• 10. Falcons, genus Falco. Brown Falcon Falco berigora. Australian Hobby (Little Falcon) Falco longipennis. Grey Falcon Falco hypoleucos. Black Falcon Falco subniger. Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus. Nankeen Kestrel (Australian Kestrel) Falco cenchroides
• 11. Threats, conservation and the future.

• • viii, 152 p., [36] p. of col. plates : ill. ; 22 cm. #080426