Collins Bird Guide: The Most Complete Guide to the Birds of Britain and Europe

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The Compare function could be really good but it's all to easy to tap into a species and back again, and then end up having to re-input the comparison species all over again. The inclusion of Pacific Diver in the main species accounts – where it is now afforded more space for both artwork and text, and is presented alongside Black-throated Diver – is a good example of where the third edition has made welcome progress with regards to the layout. A lot of effort has evidently been invested in determining the relevant criteria for each species, and it certainly appears to have paid off. In addition, each group of birds includes an introduction which covers the major problems involved in identifying or observing them: how to organise a sea watching trip, how to separate birds of prey in flight, which duck hybrids can be confused with which main species.

With its greater pagination and added illustrations, the new version is bigger and better than ever. To access your ebook(s) after purchasing, you can download the free Glose app or read instantly on your browser by logging into Glose. Had all of my lists self-delete twice (on two separate devices) which effectively caused me to lose my irretrievable year list. With expanded text and additional colour illustrations, the third edition of the hugely successful Collins Bird Guide is a must for every birdwatcher.I was a big fan of the 'original' app – its ease of use, attractive design and functionality combined to make a superb addition to my birding armoury. I found this a particular problem on a recent trip abroad, trying to look up species I was not familiar with, and struggling to find them in the book. Like any book, it's not without typos – and the one worth noting is that the species introductions on waders and gulls are on pages 136-137 and 182-183 and not as stated in the text. The best field guide anywhere just got even better, being thoroughly revised, updated and substantially more comprehensive than before. add-on, extending the app's interest and reference value but, unlike its previous incarnation, it is a nuisance that switching between 'breeding' and 'winter' maps refreshes the entire image, as does toggling plate annotations on or off.

This is even more true of many textual changes, which are often subtle and include, for instance, the addition (orremoval) of analogies here and there or small adjustments to modifiers. For example, any newbie birder picking up the third edition and reading the Ruddy Duck account would be led to believe that this species is still widespread in Britain. Non-native subspecies of Common Pheasant Phasianus colchicusare relegated to the introduced/escaped species section (where all of the featured species are now illustrated) but replaced in the main body by the stunning P. The Collins Bird Guide app is destined to become a real triumph, the ultimate in field guide apps — and deservedly so.On my iPhone 5s, the presented information appears very small for some species comparisons (Arctic, Common and Whiskered Terns for example), with the text unreadable when they are presented directly together in this way – something that would be curable with the introduction of pinching in a future version.

These gripes aside, there can be no doubt that the third edition of the Collins Bird Guide represents another significant step forward in terms of its coverage of the region's birds.However, NatureGuides are on the case and Android users are assured that the clips are something to look forward to fairly soon, while the missing images will be sorted out. Anyone who has seen the iOS version before will be greeted by a broadly familiar experience on opening the app, with a few minor and mostly cosmetic variations.

Leaving behind the classic field guide layout (text on one side of a two-page spread and illustrations on the other), the app takes on a three-tier structure.

The Collins Bird Guide App is the best way to identify a species quickly and learn about it thoroughly. Taxonomy has come a long way since the second edition was published in 2010, with many splits (and some lumps) adopted in the intervening 12 years. A minor teething problem with this new version of the app is that around a dozen images will not appear in 'compare' mode but the lack of the incredible video library, covering all illustrated species on iOS, is more disappointing. maximus) is new; Basalt Wheatear Oenanthe warriaeis split from Mourning (but requires no new artwork); and Scrub Warbler Scotocerca inquietabecomes two species (‘Levant Scrub Warbler’ S.