Birds of the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Conservation Area

Birds of the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Conservation Area is a photographic guide to more than 270 common bird species found in the area. Most species are represented by a single high-quality (usually half- page) photo, with additional photos where there a differences in plumage between sexes, ages or seasons. In many cases the photos give a better impression of what the bird is actually like in the field than the painted plates of other field guides to the region although, unfortunately, there are also a couple of poor- quality blurry photos. The book is arranged by habitat, with the aim of making it easier for beginners to find species. This does mean that several similar species (e.g. the cisticolas) are split up, making it difficult to compare confusion species. Would I take this book as my only field guide on a trip to the area? Probably not, not least because I have learnt the hard way the frustrations of taking a book covering only common species. However, this book makes a great companion to existing field guides to the region, so certainly earns its place in my bag.

Book reviewed by Martin Sullivan