Flight Identification of Raptors of Europe, North Africa and the Middle East: A Handbook of Field Identification 2nd Edition

Raptors Are Notoriously Hard To Identify, Even If Seen Well. Contrary To Expectation, It Is Actually Easier To Identify Raptors In Flight Than Perched, And It Is Fortunate That Most Raptors Are Usually Seen In Flight! This Is The Ultimate Flight Identification Guide To Western Palearctic Raptors. Covering Over Sixty Species Of Raptors (over Twenty More Than The First Edition) Throughout Europe, North Africa, The Middle East, And Central Asia, This Deeply Researched Text Reaches Even Further Into The History Of These Amazing Creatures. A Stunning Photographic Guide Of Never-before-published Images, This Thorough Text Covers Every Plumage And Age In Breathtaking Detail. Cover -- Half-title -- Title -- Copyright -- Contents -- Preface -- Acknowledgements -- Introduction -- Flight identification of raptors -- Plumage variation in raptors -- Viewing conditions -- Moult -- Factors affecting flight -- Previous experience -- Topography -- Glossary -- Hawk-Watching in and around Europe -- Migration Ecology of Raptors -- Species Accounts -- Osprey Pandion haliaetus -- European Honey-buzzard Pernis apivorus -- Crested Honey-buzzard Pernis ptilorhyncus -- Identification of hybrid honey-buzzards -- Identification of Milvus kites -- Black Kite Milvus migrans -- Western Black Kite Milvus migrans migrans -- Black-eared Kite Milvus migrans lineatus -- 'Eastern Black Kite' - Identifying hybrids and intergrades between Western Black Kite and Black-eared Kite -- Yellow-billed Kite Milvus aegyptius -- Red Kite Milvus milvus -- Identifying hybrids between Black Kite and Red Kite -- Black-shouldered Kite Elanus caeruleus -- Swallow-tailed Kite Elanoides forficatus -- White-tailed Eagle Haliaeetus albicilla -- Pallas's Fish Eagle Haliaeetus leucoryphus -- Bald Eagle Haliaeetus leucocephalus -- African Fish Eagle Haliaeetus vocifer -- Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus -- Hooded Vulture Necrosyrtes monachus -- Eurasian Griffon Vulture Gyps fulvus -- Rüppell's Griffon Vulture Gyps rueppellii -- African White-backed Vulture Gyps africanus -- Himalayan Griffon Vulture Gyps himalayensis -- Bearded Vulture Gypaetus barbatus -- Black Vulture Aegypius monachus -- Lappet-faced Vulture Torgos tracheliotos -- Short-toed Snake Eagle Circaetus gallicus -- Bateleur Terathopius ecaudatus -- Western Marsh Harrier Circus aeruginosus aeruginosus -- How to separate Black Kite, Marsh Harrier and dark morph Booted Eagle -- Identification of 'ringtail' harriers -- Hen Harrier Circus cyaneus -- Northern Harrier Circus hudsonius This book is the ultimate flight-identification guide for the raptors of the Western Palaearctic, covering Europe, North Africa, the Middle East (including Arabia) to Central Asia. Raptors are notoriously hard to identify, even if seen well, and represent perhaps the toughest of all ID challenges for birders. This guide provides identification information for all 60 species that regularly occur in the region, to subspecific level. The text covers every plumage and age in detail, with each species account accompanied by a range of photographs covering all the principal plumages. Based on this stunning photographic coverage, most of which has never been published before, this book represents a landmark in bird identification books and a major work for all raptor enthusiasts. Raptors are notoriously hard to identify, even if seen well, and represent perhaps the toughest of all ID challenges for birders. This book is the ultimate flight-identification guide for the raptors of the Western Palaearctic, covering Europe, North Africa, the Middle East (including Arabia) to Central Asia. It provides identification information for all 60 species that regularly occur in the region, to subspecific level. The text covers every plumage and age in detail, with each species account accompanied by a range of photographs covering all the principal plumages. Based on this stunning photographic coverage, most of which has never been published before, this book represents a landmark in bird identification books and a major work for all raptor enthusiasts.