A new identification guide for the 84 species of Eurasian and North American ducks, geese and swans has just been published in the Helm identification guides series: “Wildfowl of Europe, Asia and North America”. The author, Sébastien Reeber, is in charge of waterbird monitoring in GrandLieu, western France, for the Société Nationale de Protection de la Nature. He is also a dedicated birdwatcher and an authority on bird identification, having served on the French Rarities Committee since 2006. Based on years of field observations, this monumental account (656 pages in the English version) describes the plumage and other characters of each species, sex and age group. Compared to earlier similar guides, the combination of both photographs and artwork is a real bonus: no less than 650 photographs and 920 paintings in 72 plates are provided. Maybe the most novel aspect of this book is the very detailed treatment of the hybrids, which are common in wildfowl. For each nominate species, the known hybrids are listed and more than one hundred of these hybrids are illustrated, often in different sexes and plumages. Besides being a very comprehensive account on wildfowl identification, there is no doubt that “Wildfowl of Europe, Asia and North America” will become a key reference for the hybrids.
The book is also published in French by Delachaux et Niestlé under the title “Canards, cygnes et oies d’Europe, d’Asie et d’Amérique du Nord”.
Available from all regular bookstores and e-shop websites.
Thanks to Matthieu Guillemain for this news item.
