A fascinating, in-depth account of New Zealand¿s birds, which spans their discovery, their place in both Pakeha and Maori worlds, their survival and conservation, and the illustrations and art they have inspired. In 1872, the first instalments of Walter Buller¿s A History of the Birds of New Zealand appeared. When completed, this became a landmark publishing event that described the place of New Zealand¿s birds in the Maori world, the first encounters Europeans had with our birds, the arguments over their classification, and provided a snapshot of their status at the time. Through Buller¿s books, the rest of the world got to know about New Zealand¿s unusual and distinctive birds, and New Zealanders, too, began to appreciate them. Geoff Norman¿s Birdstories carries Buller¿s publishing legacy through to the present day. He covers a range of our bird families and individual species, and provides an up-to-date picture of how these birds are regarded by both Maori and Pakeha, the backstory of their discovery, and their current conservation status. Extensively illustrated with historic illustrations and contemporary artwork, this is a beautiful, comprehensive publication that will help New Zealanders realise what a taonga we have in our birds.

Includes bibliographical references.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1873.

'You can put your hand on this book and swear by it, because it's the bible. Every bird of town, bush, swamp, island, beach, river and the sea is here - accurately, intricately, and beautifully observed.

Paintings of fifty-eight species of extinct New Zealand birds including the largest eagle the earth has ever seen with text on facing pages.

From the Kermadecs to Campbell Island, beloved endemics to passing vagrants, albatrosses and shearwaters to kiwi and kaka, Birds of New Zealand is the ultimate guide to this countrys extraordinary avian life. It is illustrated with almost 1000 new photographs and uses the latest information from birders and biologists to draw a definitive introduction to bird identification and behaviour. Includes expert information on the 345 bird species found in New Zealand; key identification characteristics and variation by age and sex; authoritative texts covering behaviour, distribution and taxonomy; and Maori, English and scientific names. A copy of this must-have guide belongs in every bach and backpack. The author of Albatrosses, Petrels and Shearwaters of the World, Paul Scofield is a leading New Zealand ornithologist. Brent Stephenson is a New Zealand bird photographer and tour leader.

Foreword by Rt. Hon, Helen Clark -- Don Menton -- a tribute -- Acknowledgments -- Author's introduction -- Map of New Zealand and its offshore islands -- Aotearoa New Zealand -- an introduction -- Map of New Zealand -- Conservation and alien species -- Identification notes -- Abbreviations -- Bird typography -- Seabirds -- Waterside and wetland birds -- Landbirds -- Extinct bird species -- Notes for the visitor -- National parks and protected areas -- Birding tour operators -- Useful environmental and conservation organisations.

This third edition brings with it many new places to find birds and some extra species. It also introduced grid references to bird places for the use on Google Earth and on GPS technology. It comes in Wiro binding and perfect binding, the wiro being of more use when used in the field. Colour pictures of each bird are included to help the beginner plus a further number of helpful identification features. According to some this is still the best locality guide available.

A handy, pocket-sized guide to the identification of New Zealand's land birds. Condensed from Andrew Crowe's popular Which New Zealand Bird?, this little book has been designed to fit into a pocket, day pack or bag. Full of essential information for quick accurate identification of land birds, this new mini guide is appealing and easy to use.