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

William S Clark

In this comprehensive new identification guide, Bill Clark presents the latest information on tried and tested field marks for identifying the diurnal raptors of the Western Palearctic region. Forty-eight stunning colour plates, especially painted for this volume by artist N. John Schmitt, depict all the plumages for every raptor, both regularly occurring and vagrant. The plates are augmented by a forty-page colour photograph section. The accompanying text provides the reader with essential clues to identification: detailed plumage descriptions for each age, sex, and colour morph; sections describing flight, moult, behaviour, and distribution for every species; 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. This will be essential reading for any birdwatcher or ornithologist who wants to watch and identify the region's raptors in the field.

Bill Clark has over 30 years of experience of studying, observing, and photographing raptors throughout the world.

"It is an acknowledged fact... that raptors are one of the most difficult groups of birds to identify.... Bill Clark's book covers the subject for the first time with colour illustrations and photographs, both essential accompaniments to an authoritative but user-friendly text. Both author and illustrator, N. John Schmitt, have given us a book that I'm sure will stand the test of time and give pleasure to thousands of raptor fanatics."

 - Richard Porter

371 pages.

Softback £39.95 £37.00