Synopsis
This guide brings together, for the first time in single volume, a comprehensive review of all the world's pheasants, partridges, quails, grouse, turkeys, guineafowl, buttonquails, sandgrouse, and the enigmatic Plains-wanderer - over 250 species in all.
The group includes some of the world's most familiar and beautiful birds, such as Indian Peafowl and the stunning tragopans, as well as some of the rarest and most threatened. Some survive in fragments of over-exploited habitats, whilst others are now so familiar in domestication that it is difficult to imagine that they had any wild ancestors at all.
As with other volumes in the award-winning Helm Identification Guide series, this book concentrates on identification and distribution, but also highlights conversation issues where relevant. Each species is treated in detail, reflecting the extensive knowledge of both authors. The 72 colour plates, by leading bird illustrators, show male, female, juvenile and subspecies plumages, and form the finest set of illustrations of these birds to date. There is also a colour distribution map for each species.
Pheasants, Partridges & Grouse is a welcome addition to the Helm Identification Guide series, more importantly, a landmark volume in the literature of this attractive and vulnerable group of birds.
About the Authors
Phil McGowan gained his doctorate in 1992, studying the social organisation of Malaysian Peacock Pheasants. He has travelled widely in Asia, and was lead compiler of the World Pheasant Association's action plans for pheasants; partridges, quail, francolins, snowcock and guineafowl; and megapodes, all published by IUCN in 1995. He has recently overseen the review of all three action plans for the period 2000-2004, and is currently co-investigator on research into the ecology of the Western Tragopan in northwest India.
Steve Madge became interested in birds as a child, the honking croaks of ravens along the rugged coast of his native Cornwall being among his earliest memories. He lived in Cornwall, but spent part of the year overseas leading birdwatching tours for Birdquest, the company he helped to form. He is a former member of the British Birds Rarities Committee, and contributed many articles on birds to journals in various parts of the world. His book with Hilary Burn, Wildfowl, was a worthy winner of British Birds' 'Bird Book of the Year' award; he was also a co-author of the Helm Identification Guides, Handbook of Bird Identification and Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse.
Carl D'Silva is India's leading wildlife artist. He painted many of the plates for Helm's Birds of the Indian Continent, and is currently working on the illustrations for a guide to the Eastern Palearctic.
Daniel Cole has emerged as one of the best 'new' bird illustrators over the past few years. He painted a number of plates for Helm's seminal Birds of the Indian Subcontinent.
David Mead is a freelance artist and illustrator. He has contributed to a wide range of books and periodicals. He exhibits regularly and is noted for his meticulous attention to detail. He co-illustrated Raptors of the World (Helm).
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