Birds of India (Third Edition)

I’ve not previously visited India, and given my age it is looking increasingly unlikely that I ever will. I had the opportunity to do so once, at the invitation of the Rajasthan government, no less, as part of a group of wildlife observation focused journalists being brought there to inspire them to write about the birdwatching and other outdoor activities to be found in northwest India and thus to increase tourism to the area. Unfortunately, I caught a nasty case of the flu just before I was scheduled to depart. Because of this, I didn’t get to use the copy of Princeton University Press’ Birds of India that I had been studying for two months prior in preparation for the trip.

Recently, I was made aware by the good people at Princeton University Press that a new edition of that aforementioned book is being published. Birds of India: Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives, Third Edition by Tim Inskipp, Richard Grimmett, and Carol Inskipp is a fully updated, revised, and expanded edition of the previous edition that had already become the standard field guide to the birds of the region. How many birds? 1,429 species in total, including all residents, migrants, vagrants, and newly described species, all illustrated across 246 color plates, and fully described.

Now, slowing down as I am and not as keen to endure twenty-four hours of connecting flights to reach a new area in which to watch birds, I can still enjoy their beauty and learning about them from the comfort of my armchair thanks to this lovely new book. However if you find that you are in or traveling to India and you enjoy watching birds, you’ll also probably want a copy ready to hand.