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

Birds of prey are among the most imposing and spectacular birds to be found in Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. In this thorough new identification guide, author Bill Clark presents the latest information on tried and tested field marks for the diurnal raptors, both perched and in flight. Many of these field marks are the result of his own extensive experience in classifying raptors, and most have never before been published. Clark has been observing, studying, writing about, and photographing raptors for over thirty years. And his passion for birds of prey has taken him around the world, making him uniquely qualified to write this book. He presents a forty-page color photograph section in addition to detailed facts about each bird, providing the essential clues to identification. These include plumage descriptions for each age, sex, and color change as well as descriptions of flight, molt, behavior, and distribution for every species. With forty-eight stunning color plates especially painted for this volume, it depicts all the plumage for every raptor found in the Western Palearctic region, both regularly occurring and vagrant. Also contained in this guide are useful sections on similar species and how to distinguish them, and each account concludes with the range of measurements for length, wing span, and weight. This guide is essential for all ornithologists or any birdwatcher who wants to accurately identify the region's raptors.