A Field Guide to the Raptors of Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa

The birds of prey must rank among the most imposing and spectacular birds to be found anywhere in Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. In this comprehensive new identification guide, Bill Clark presents the latest information on tried and tested field marks for identifying the diurnal raptors, both perched and in flight. Many of these field marks are the result of his own extensive experience in identifying raptors, and have never before been published. Forty-eight stunning colour plates, especially painted for this volume by artist N. John Schmitt, depict all the plumages for every raptor found in the Western Palearctic region, both regularly occurring and vagrant. The plates are augmented by a forty-page colour photograph section. The accompanying text provides the essential clues to identification. These include detailed plumage descriptions for each age, sex, and colour morph, as well as sections describing flight, moult, behaviour, and distribution for every species. The text also contains useful sections on similar species - notoriously difficult to identify - and how to distinguish them. Each account concludes with the range of measurements for length, wing span, and weight. Bill Clark has been working on the raptors for over thiry years, observing them, studying them, writing about them, and photographing them. His passion for birds of prey has taken him around the world, and in particular to Europe and to the Middle East, making him uniquely qualified to write this book. It will be essential for any birdwatcher or ornithologist who wants to watch and identify the region's raptors in the field.