The Handbook of Bird Families

In 2014, Firefly Books published the beautiful and comprehensive reference, World of Birds by Jonathan Elphick. Sales and reviews of the book were excellent:

"The value-to-cost ratio makes this a worthy addition to the ornithology collection in most libraries." -- Booklist (starred review)

"An excellent reference book that will occupy shelves in many libraries. For those needing just one general bird reference, this might be it. Highly recommended." -- Choice

The World of Birds had two parts, the first, "Birds," provided in-depth coverage of birds in general, such as anatomy, behavior, reproduction, range and more. The second part was a species directory. Since then, however, many changes have occurred in the classification of species, an expected outcome of the increasing use of DNA analysis, and this is the updated second part as a stand-alone book.

This ultimate handbook contains a comprehensive survey of the world's birds, reflecting the latest classification changes to the Howard and Moore Complete Checklist of the Birds of the World. It includes an introduction to each of the bird orders and a detailed account and concise fact panel for every one of the 234 families. It details the appearance, behavior and lifestyle of the family members, while a glossary, further reading list and an index ensure easy reference.

Readers can learn more about each bird species. What's the difference between a crow and a jay? How many species of sparrow are there? What song do cuckoos really sing? All the key facts about the world's orders and families of birds are in The Handbook of Bird Families. Reformatted, resized and fully updated, it is the ideal up-to-date companion to the highly acclaimed reference The World of Birds published in 2014.

With clear, lively text, informative fact boxes and special photography from award-winning wildlife photographer David Tipling and other top photographers, The Handbook of Bird Families belongs on the shelf of everyone interested in birds.

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) is the global authority on the status of the natural world. It oversees the IUCN Red List, which catalogues those plants and animals facing a higher risk of global extinction (Critically Endangered, Endangered and Vulnerable). BirdLife is dedicated to the survival of bird species in the wild.

Jonathan Elphick is a wildlife writer, editor, consultant, lecturer and broadcaster, specializing in ornithology. During a career spanning almost 40 years, he has written many books including The World of Birds, the bestseller Birdsong, Birds: The Art of Ornithology and the award-winning Birdwatcher's Handbook. He was researcher for Birds and People, the largest survey of cultural attitudes to birds worldwide, and spent five years as researcher on the acclaimed bestseller Birds Britannica. Jonathan is a Fellow of both the Linnean Society of London and the Zoological Society. He lives in Exeter, UK.