World books and magazines

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NEW!!! Estrildid Finches of the World

Estrildid Finches of the World

After 9 years of extensive research, I am very pleased to announce that the unique book ‘Estrildid Finches of the World’ will soon be published in English and Dutch. The book consists of 396 A4 pages of descriptive and factual text, 1,052 full-colour photographs and 146 maps, printed on high quality paper and bound with a laminated hard cover. It has been reviewed by scientists as a “fantastic volume”, a “magnificent book …authoritative summary” and “beautifully showcased”.

The book is written for a wide audience, not only bird lovers and watchers, but also ornithologists and other scientists. Estrildid finches are among the most fascinating bird families of the Old World with surprising and special characteristics. The family of Estrildidaecomprises 34 genera with 145 species and 239 subspecies, each having its own quirks!

All 145 species and their subspecies are described in detail and the unique distribution maps present the spread of all subspecies in different colours. The descriptions of the species are supported by beautiful photographs of the birds in their natural habitats. 

These photos represent the work of close to 300 photographers from 40 countries around the world, whose achievements were vitally important to this huge project. Not only did they afford me permission to use their photos, but they also provided valuable information on the species directly through their first-hand field experience. In fact, some species have never been illustrated photographically before. In addition, I was very fortunate in that several renowned universities, such as Cambridge and Yale, were extremely helpful. 

The reader will also be treated to photos of nestlings at different stages of their development, which were taken by bird breeders so as not to unnecessarily disturb the breeding birds in their natural habitats. The book depicts the largest number of mouth markings ever published, with 111 species beingillustrated. Original photos show nestling mimicry of estrildid finches and their parasitic whydahs and indigobirds, making this a fascinating resource for evolutionary biologists.

G.J. Huisman

Highlights

  • The largest collection of estrildid finch mouth markings worldwide containing 111 unique photos, many never published before.
  • First book with all 145 species, described and showcased in photos taken in the wild.    
  • Close to 300 participating photographers from 40 countries around the world.
  • Distribution maps of all species and subspecies.
  • First book with photos of the Alpine Mannikin Lonchura monticola.
  • Complete listing of parasitic whydahs and indigobirds vs. hosting estrildid finches. 
  • Description and photos of a new estrildid finch species.         

 Reviews

Nigel Collar of BirdLife International, Gabriel Jamie and Claire Spottiswoode of Cambridge University and University of Cape Town, wrote the comprehensive foreword to the book, as quoted: 

“One of the pleasures of paging through this fantastic volume is to see the full force of this avian diversity on show.”

“Less obvious to most field observers, however, but beautifully showcased in this book, is the astonishing diversity in estrildid nestlings.”

“This magnificent book provides an authoritative summary of the state of our knowledge, on which we hope the author, his many colleagues and contributing new estrildid fans inspired by this book, will continue to build.”

Kristof Zyskowski of Yale University, Peabody Museum of Natural History:

“I just wanted to say that I am very impressed with your book project and I am honoured to have my photos included. I think the book will be a fantastic resource with all the photos you managed to gather, especially those of nestling mouth markings. I also love the distribution maps showing subspecies ranges.”

Technical details

  • A4 format.
  • 396 pages, printed on high qualitypaper and bound with a laminated hard cover.
  • 1,052 photographstaken by close to 300 photographers from 40 countries.
  • 146 maps showcasing the distribution of the species and subspecies in detail and colour.

Orders

  • The book can be ordered via our website www.finches.nl
  • A special pre-purchase price of €59.95 is available from May 1 to August 1, 2021.
  • As of August 2021, the price will be €69.95, excluding postage.

LE DIAMANT MANDARIN – MONOGRAPHIE FREDERIC BIVERT

The author of this high quality, comprehensive and professional monograph on the Australian species of exotic birds Zebra finch – Taeniopygia guttata, one of the most popular and most represented species with the largest number of mutations is Mr. Frederic Bivert, OMJ judge for exotic birds!
The book was written and published in French.
The book is written in such a way that it will be useful for fans, as well as breeders and competitors, but also for evaluators – judges for evaluating birds.
This book would be worth owning for every aviculture lover! Enjoy using the useful information and expertise from this book!

Paul Richard: Presentation of expert associates for Brazilian journals.

Časopis Hrvatskog ornitološkog saveza BATUDA – urednik Duško Matošić

1st Row: Massimiliano Esposto (Italy), Mathieu Bily (Belgium / Luxembourg), Nuno Cruz (Portugal), Omar Sanchez (Argentina) and Walther Sanchez (Colombia).
2nd Row: Adair Phillipsen Jr, Pierre Channoy (France), Guray Ozkul (Turkey), Groda (Czech Rep.), Norberto Nadal (Argentina) and Wladimir Russo.
3rd row: Milton Amador, Carlos Cozzi (Argentina), Fede Gaggero (Uruguay), Alberto Rubens (Brazil / Israel), Slobodan Kulic (Serbia) and Karina Marchiori.

1st Row: Sassá (Samuel), Hugo Marcontoni (Argentina), D. Rosina Capri, Alberto Vidiri (Argentina), Alexandre Manzinii, Richard Kuhr (Germany).
2nd Row: Rudi Bleyen (Belgium), João Piva, Maarten Heylen (Belgium), Adriano Colombo, Paulo Azzi and Tiago Souza.
3rd Row: Alexandre Capri, Fabio Penna Curto, Airton Pires, Romain Nino (France), André Lüdke and Dr. Valério Balani.