The Australian Bird Guide (Revised Edition)

By: Peter Menkhorst, Danny Rogers, Rohan Clarke, Jeff Davies, Peter Marsack, Kim Franklin

Sometimes you just want to know "What bird is that?"

This Revised Edition includes updated maps, artwork and species accounts, reflecting current knowledge of the biology and distribution of Australia's birds. It features around 4700 specially commissioned colour illustrations of over 900 species, with particular emphasis on providing the fine detail required to identify difficult groups and distinctive plumages.

It's become one of those books that lives within arm's reach in the van, not tucked away with the rest of our reference library. Regional Australia throws up birds we've never seen before, and more than once we've sat parked at a rest stop flicking through the pages trying to work out exactly what just flew past. The illustrations do the heavy lifting here, close enough in detail that you can actually tell apart the birds that look almost identical at a glance.

It's a solid, proper reference too, not a slim pocket guide, so it holds up whether you're chasing down a common species or trying to pin down something genuinely rare.

RRP: $49.99, CSIRO Publishing