This is the only pocket guide to all the known birds of eastern Africa, an area nearly half the size of the contiguous United States and including Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, and Yemen's Socotra Island. Drawing on almost two decades of visits to the region, Ber van Perlo offers a concise reference whose 96 color plates and accompanying text describe all 1,487 species birders might see, including some of the most colorful anywhere on earth--from ostriches to albatrosses, boobies and cormorants to vultures, lovebirds, parrots, parakeets, cuckoos, kingfishers, bee-eaters, starlings, waxbills, weavers, and many more.
Each plate illustrates similar species and subspecies while the facing pages feature precise, pithy entries summing up physical traits, behavior, habitat, and voice. Distribution maps show the range and frequency of each species. This is an indispensable guide for all birders, amateur and professional alike, who have given thought to exploring the ornithological wealth of this part of Africa.