The Birds of Africa

"The Birds of Africa" is also a 5-volume handbook by George Ernest Shelley, published 1896-1912.

The Birds of Africa is a seven-volume ornithological handbook. Its authors/editors were C. Hilary Fry, Stuart Keith and Emil Urban, and each volume contained colour plates painted by Martin Woodcock. A Concise Edition is in preparation, with a planned publication date of 2010.

Content

It covers all breeding species in full, with details of range, status, description, voice, general habits and breeding; non-breeding visitors are treated more briefly, with emphasis on their status and behaviour whilst in Africa.

Volumes

The series contained the following volumes:

1. Ostriches to Falcons, published in 1982
2. Gamebirds to Pigeons, published in 1986
3. Parrots to Woodpeckers, published in 1988
4. Broadbills to Chats, published in 1992
5. Thrushes to Puffback Flycatchers, published in 1997
6. Picathartes to Oxpeckers, published in 2000
7. Sparrows to Buntings, published in 2004