| Summary: | This is the first ever authoritative and comprehensive monograph that covers all the bird species occurring in South Bohemia in a period of over 150 years. Fourteen authors contributed to this most up-to-date work reflecting advances in ornithological research and providing the standard reference for the birds of the region. The book includes descriptions of 291 bird species, of which 193 are breeders. Moreover, there are also chapters on bird topography, history of ornithological research, topography and habitats of South Bohemia, birding, bird protection, important bird areas, etc. Each breeding species is described in full in two/four pages and sections on identification, biology, distribution, and occurrence in South Bohemia. Regular migrants (36 species) are also treated under these headings while the species accounts of 62 accidental species are brief, covering only one paragraph. For the first time in the Czech ornithological literature, the book also covers split species such as Tundra Bean Goose (Anser serrirostris) or Yellow-legged Gull (Larus michahellis). More than 50 photographers contributed to the huge photographic collection from which over 1,800 top quality images are published in the book. These cover all the bird species, variations in plumage based on the sex, age, or seasonal changes, as well as photos of nests and characteristic habitats. Color and black-and-white illustrations are aimed at helping to identify birds and/or showing such features as display postures, roosting, feeding behaviors, etc. The book also contains detailed distribution maps for each species based on the latest data, summaries of vocalizations of all the bird species covered and, last but not least, a CD providing many different types of vocalizations of 233 species.
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