Customer Reviews

British Birds: A photographic guide to every common species (Collins Complete Guide)

Collins Complete British Birds Photoguide has everything you would ever need in a bird book. It gives a very detailed introduction to British birds and a highly useful section on bird habitats, plumage, migration and movements and conservation at the start of the book without making the text sound too boring.
The photographs in the book are absolutely superb and show birds in every plumage; male and female, adult or juvenile, summer or winter and they are very clear. Each species account gives a description of plumage patterns, voice, where the bird is likely to be found and its status in the country at large, and also (which I found very useful) a bit on where the best place to find the bird is and at what time of year, the distribution maps are very clear and include a calendar bar to show if the bird in question is a year round resident or a visitor.
I found the text very easy to read (unlike most bird books which tend to be very scientific and hard to understand) and is a great book to have. Buy it, I guarantee you will not be wasting your money.

This is the best bird indentifying book I've seen.
A great layout. Photos (not sketches) of each bird including male, female, juvenile....It also includes information on each bird size, voice, migration, habitat and areas. Also there are pictures of 'uncommon' visitor birds at the back and a lovely general introduction of habitats at the front of the book.

I purchased this book along with the RSPB one .
however the Collins book was more descriptive with full coulour photo's and not drawings as the rspb's it also shows the birds in flight which helps you if you are a beginner less you might not be so quick with the binocc's
So well worth the pounds and five stars

If truth be told most of the birds books for sale these days are excellent for identification purposes. Printing techniques, particularly with the use of colour have improved dramatically and a book that would have cost �100 not many years ago, can now be purchased for a tenth of the price.

This book is full of good quality colour photographs that are ideal for identification. The book also tell you where in the British Isles a particular species is usually to be found. Whether the bird is to be found all year round or whether it is just a visitor to our shores. It also shows the birds in their different plumage: Male and female, juvenile etc.

Modern bird books consciously do not show photographs of eggs and I must admit it is something I miss, although I totally understand the reasoning behind it. All in all this is another of a number of books that are well worth purchasing if you have either a passing interest in birds or are more serious about bird watching.

Having obtained the book for my husband who is a wildlife photographer, it has been found to be a very good source of general information. The only thing that lets it down is that, when you look closely, much of the descriptive text tells very little about the subject. These is no description of nest types for most of the birds, nothing about the egg, colour, size etc.
The worst thing i found about the book, which is aimed at the everyday watcher and not the specialist, is the order of the book. I realise that it is in the general order of classification, but that order is for the specialist. Most people buying this book want to easily and quickly identify the birds in their garden or area. This book leaves garden birds tucked away to the back, the first 154 pages being dedicated to water birds then start the more popular birds followed by more water birds, then sea birds, and finally back to a few more varieties found in the garden or countryside habitats.
The book has an advantage over older books that rely on drawn pictures, but is let down by the scientific format of its structure. Older books usually kept the birds sectioned by habitat so if you wanted a bird seen in broadleafed woodland that was where you looked.
For those producing future books or revisions to this one should remember that most people who watch birds are not twitchers and scientists, and that the clasification of these birds was done at a time when new species were still being 'discovered'.
For the general public a better and more user friendly format would be to start with Garden birds, then broadleafed woodland, coniferous, open farmland, marshes, Raptors, lakes and rivers, seabirds, and finally the rearer visitors. every book i have ever seen lists the Hoopoe (which I for one have not seen in 56 years), and none have ever listed the Peacock which is present in ever increasing numbers in parks and gardens, and can now be found in the wild, and is every bit as british as the mandarin duck and other exotic birds imported from abroad and released into the wild (I noted the inclusion of the ring necked parrot which appears to have been given the same status as the Kingfisher and wryneck).
So overall, the photography is very good, the descriptions are ok as far as they go, identifying birds by nest or egg is not generally covered.
Apart from all that it is not a bad reference guide but it can be improved.

I read the reviews and decided to buy the book based on the high proportion of 5* ratings. I was not disappointed!

The book is the size of an average paperback, has a protective clear plastic sleeve, glossy pages, stunning photographs & great summaries on key facts of interest about each bird - definitely the best �7.99 I've spent in a long time!

I have just taken up a new interest, bird watching. This little book contains all a begginner like me needs. Each page shows a differnt bird, size, colouring, habitat etc. You also get information on what to feed the birds in your garden and what type of plant life they appreciate. Great Value.

Photographs extremely well chosen thus making bird identification easier. Sensible grouping of birds and informative comments on habitat and behaviour. Very pleased with the purchase.

This is a wonderful little book. I would have quite happily paid the full price for it without question. Very informative and easy to follow. Lovely illustration and not cumbersome to carry around. If anyone is pondering whether to purchase this little gem, well dont hesitate. Pleasant reading Thankyou.

This book is very good that shows pitures of male,female and juvenile birds.
Descriptions are straight forward and easy to understand of birds,and where is best to find them, at what time of year.
Very handy book - GREAT.