OM BOOKS INTERNATIONAL Birds Of India: Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh

Grossartig bebildert, die herrliche Avifauna des indischen Subkontinentes, wenig Text viele Farbfotos, gibt einen Einblick in Gottes reiche Schöpfung, genial

Beautiful pictures, very informative especially for a beginner. Very exhaustive but yet interesting for all birders. Once again, the photographs are to die for. A must have book in collection of all birders.

Best field guide. Must buy.

This Magnum Opus by Bikram et al is not to be missed by anyone even remotely interested in the birds of Indian Subcontinent. With 1300 species and 4000 photographs, this is clearly in a league of it's own. The biggest USP of this book, in my opinion, is it's photographs. The 2 most popular field guides (Grimmet and Krys) have bird paintings that are helpful in understanding the features and appreciating the finer nuances, but when it comes down to identifying a bird in the field, the impression s/he gets is not of a painting but a real bird and nothing can be better than a good photograph as a reference. The choice of photographs in the book, is focused and meticulous. In many cases where the confusion between various plumage/stages of a specific bird, is rampant between bird watching community, the authors have chosen to publish multiple pictures of the bird, with the insets providing critical angles that will be immensely helpful to the birder in field. The opening commentary by Inskipps touches upon the diversity, threats, keystone species, decline and a host of other aspects and provides an engaging and enlightening read. The list of Vagrants and improbable birds in the end will definitely fuel the energies of twitchers who are keen on a challenge. Maps are accurate and well illustrated. I just wish the dull grey could be avoided, may be a white background so it could stand out. The details about each bird like sound, range are very helpful. The way creative team designed the layout, it makes for an interesting read, with the background of each photograph providing the blurred backdrop for writing details of the bird in white font. That takes away the monotony of a uniform background and introduces diverse colour plates, making it actually a colourful book. The cover, as many have noted, could have been sturdier for a big book such as this. Overall, this is one labour of love, from the stables of Bikram, that will surely be a proud addition to any bookshelf. Go buy it for yourself or to gift to someone who will appreciate. Thanks for reading

This book is one of the three famous bird guides of India, alongwith Salim Ali's "Book of Indian Birds" and Grimmett/Inskipp/Inskipp's "Birds of the Indian Subcontinent (Field Guide). What makes it unique is that it relies solely on photographs rather than drawings, and this has its pros and cons: PRO: The photographs are much more lifelike than drawings, which makes this book a real pleasure to read sitting at home... even when you aren't out in the field. >The descriptions are written with a lot of love and passion, and I have already spent several hours reading them. CON: The drawings of the other field guides show every detail of the bird's physical appearance - from the beak to the tertiaries. However, some of the photographs in this book miss out key identificatory features - e.g. the picture of the Lineated Barbet doesn't even show the characteristic lineations on the throat and chest! >Distribution maps of the range of birds are included, but not always accurate. On occasion, the written description under the "range" column doesn't match the distribution map right beside it. The book has been written with a view to conservation and preservation of birds and other wildlife, so it also includes certain extinct or presumed-extinct species. On the whole, I find this guide helpful because I can spend several hours reading it to familiarize myself with birds of areas I haven't visited, but in the field there's no substitute for the Grimmett guide.