Collins Bird Guide

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to arrive at the wrong conclusion if an identification is based adult (ad.) - old, mature bird in definitive plumage. Some

Another extensively reworked species is Great Grey Shrike, which now has 13 rather than eight figures, and there are two more for the newly split ‘Iberian’ Grey Shrike. Lars Svensson has broken with convention, not just in unilaterally renaming this form Iberian, despite it also breeding in southern France, but in restricting it to the single taxon meridionalis; so all other Old World large grey shrikes here, including the vagrant pallidirostris from Central Asia, are lumped within Great Grey, yet the Nearctic borealis Northern Shrike has been split as a vagrant. Although Svensson has researched the systematics of this complex elsewhere and outlines the need for more research here, I question the wisdom of trying to establish a different grouping of taxa and inventing a new English name as an interim position. The scientific name of a species is wntten tn Latm (or 111 4 Scarce or local (estimated> 100 pairs)Collins Bird Guide (3rd edition)by Lars Svensson, Killian Mullarney and Dan Zetterstrom is published by Collins.

tail measured on the stretched bird (L). For most species the plumage worn at the approximate age of two years. pressed as the length in centimetres from tip of bill to tip of 2nd-summer (2nd-s. ) - age category usually referring to or origina lly introductions to the area and whtcl~ t~ow breed region. The sytnbols are explained below. ples we chose were the right ones, corresponding well to constantly reveals new relationships and better arrange-

The ultimate reference book for bird enthusiasts – now in its second edition.

species, a size range is always given instead of a single aver- subadu!t (subad. ) - nearly adult, not quite in definitive Each species is accompanied by a distribution map and full colour illustrations of the male, female, and juvenile, as well as showing differences when in flight or at rest where necessary. The book provides all the information needed to identify any species at any time of the year, covering size, habitat, range, identification and voice. Accompanying every species entry is a distribution map and illustrations showing the species in all the major plumages (male, female, immature, in flight, at rest, feeding: whatever is important). Collins Bird Guide covers the UK, Europe and the North Atlantic Islands as well as much of North Africa and the Middle East, and with this much detail it will continue to be the field guide of choice for most bird watchers.

L. S. is indebted to Jose Luis Copete, Andrew Lassey and gestions and/or provision of very useful photographic mate- all of which could be compensated for along the way. New would begin with shrikes and orioles, then group together should be tempted to leave it at home when travelling. common and established patterns rather than every recent Olsen, Urban Olsson, Eugeny Panov, David Parkin, Mike jendijk, les Meulmeester, Mars Muusse, Theodoor Muusse.develop in the 15 or so years it took to reach publication, not now, the natural sequence starting with the oldest families