Birds of Southern Africa

This photographic field guide to southern African birds comprises the biggest and most comprehensive collection of photographs of the region's birds in one volume. It describes and illustrates all 958 bird species found in southern Africa, and an additional 17 species recorded from the Southern Ocean and associated islands, and Antarctica.

For generations the deserts of southern Africa have fascinated scientists and travelers alike. They teem with life – from ants to elephants, stone plants and colorful daisies to the curious welwitschia, dainty dik-diks to towering gemsbok, and cart-wheeling spiders to fog-basking beetles, all survive against the odds in the fragile desert ecosystem. How do they cope with scarce resources, unpredictable rainfall and extreme temperatures, and how do they protect themselves against predators while also ensuring species survival?