Atlas of Duck Populations in Eastern Europe

An attractive book summarizing available information about duck populations in Eastern Europe, it addresses some key gaps in knowledge about regularly occurring species in a vast region from the Barents, White and Baltic Sea in the north to the Caspian and Black Sea in the south.  Readable text is combined with colour photos, and the figures and maps are clear and of high quality. Eleven species are covered, their accounts divided into sections on breeding distribution, habitat selection, population size, trends, flyways, phenology, staging sites, wintering areas, and population management. With the majority of the ducks in question familiar to us in western Europe this book should be of interest to a large audience, and moreover, as waterbird distributions begin to show effects of climate and other environmental change it is important that we improve understanding of the status of species across their entire ranges. This book will be a useful addition to birding libraries throughout the Africa-Eurasia region.

Book reviewed by Chas Holt