Farmland Birds Across the World

Farmland has been the focus of much bird research in this country in the last few decades, with tales of massive farmland bird declines against a background of changing agricultural practices and, generally, much doom and gloom. With all this negative press, perhaps, we have forgotten that farmland can be an incredibly rich habitat. Add to this the fact that ‘farmland’ is such a diverse concept when looked at on a global scale. Across the world, ‘farmland’ is the most widespread ‘habitat’, with some 37% of all bird species using it – 486 species of which are globally threatened. This beautifully and generously illustrated book, written by a raft of experts in the biodiversity of the differing types of farmland, celebrates the agricultural landscape and its multitude of birds. Each main type is investigated in its own chapter, with a focus on characteristic birds, their successes and the difficulties which threaten them. Many case studies throughout the text highlight individual stories and species.

Book reviewed by Su Gough