A Field Guide to the Birds of China

China is one of the largest countries in the world, covering 7 per cent of the earth's land surface, and encompassing a hugely diverse range of habitats. As a result it boasts a rich and diverse avifauna, including some of the most spectacular and fascinating birds to be found anywhere in the world. This is a comprehensive, taxonomically modern, and illustrated field guide to the birds of China. Over 1300 bird species are illustrated in 128 original colour paintings, by Karen Phillipps and Dave Showler. The species accounts stress the key points for field recognition and give a full description of the plumage, voice, range, distribution, status, and behavioural characteristics for every bird, with additional descriptions provided for hundreds of subspecies. Colour distribution maps are provided for all illustrated species. The book also includes a useful introductory section that presents a background to the ecology of China, a brief history of Chinese ornithology, and plenty of practical hints on birdwatching in China.

Table of Contents:
Part One - Introductory Section; Author's Introduction; Acknowledgements; Introduction to Region; History of Ornithology in China; Avian Biogeography of Region; Conservation; Field Techniques for Birdwatching; Anatomy and Plumage of a Bird; Glossary of terms used; Part Two - Species Descriptions; Part Three - Appendices: 1. Limited Distribution Birds of Endemic Bird Areas; 2. Lists of Threatened and Endangered Species of China; 3. List of Birds of North Arunachel Pradesh not Described in Book; 4. List of Birds expected on Spratly Islands not Described in Book; 5. List of Clubs and Journals for the area; 6. Chinese Names; Bibliography; Index and synonyms

About the Author :
John MacKinnon is Professor of Biodiversity Information at the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology at the University of Kent in Canterbury, England. He is currently posted in the Philippines as head of a European Union project to set up an ASEAN Regional Centre for Biodiversity Conservation. He is Chairman of a Special Biodiversity Working Group that advises the Chinese Government on biodiversity matters, and formerly spent eight years living in China and Hong Kong working on a number of conservation projects in China. Apart from many technical reports on China he has published two other books on the country - Wild China and A Photoguide to the Birds of China. Among several other books on natural history of Asia, he is also the senior author of A Field Guide to the Birds of Borneo, Sumatra, Java and Bali which remains the standard bird guide to the Greater Sunda Islands.