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The Field Guide to the Birds of Australia
The definitive and most respected guide to Australian bird identification, this book is a must for both experts and amateurs.
First published in 1980, Graham Pizzey′s Field Guide to the Birds of Australia combines a depth and breadth of knowledge with beautiful, full-colour illustrations by Frank Knight.
Comprehensive and fully updated, this 9th edition of the Guide is more user-friendly than ever before. Species entries have been re-ordered and updated to reflect the new taxonomy, and the book has been expanded to include eighteen new species as well as a new section on vagrant species. It also features new information on bird family groups, more than 750 distribution maps based on the most recent bird atlas data, as well as a new Quick Find Index, to assist with quick identification of birds in the field.
This is the essential reference for every bird enthusiast.
First published in 1980, Graham Pizzey′s Field Guide to the Birds of Australia combines a depth and breadth of knowledge with beautiful, full-colour illustrations by Frank Knight.
Comprehensive and fully updated, this 9th edition of the Guide is more user-friendly than ever before. Species entries have been re-ordered and updated to reflect the new taxonomy, and the book has been expanded to include eighteen new species as well as a new section on vagrant species. It also features new information on bird family groups, more than 750 distribution maps based on the most recent bird atlas data, as well as a new Quick Find Index, to assist with quick identification of birds in the field.
This is the essential reference for every bird enthusiast.
624 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1980
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
August 28, 2019
Got my bike, got my bird book, got my binoculars, all I need now is some nice weather so I can go out and spot these beautiful babies!
October 13, 2012
Huge size and weight of this definitive book on bird identification in Australia makes it somewhat difficult to use in the field or carry in your luggage to Australia. However, every bird is richly described, beautifully illustrated. Definitely a work of art and research worth having.
January 1, 2025
Intro section is boring. Pretty pictures are great. I like the distribution maps being all clumped together at the back, actually kinda useful. This is mostly just an interesting window into bird knowledge at the time, so its cool to have something that is actually a little useful. Still outdated though.
February 16, 2018
This is a very useful guide if you like Australian birds or are an avid birdwatcher. I am interested in bird photography, so I have been consulting it regularly since I got it.
May 25, 2021
I love this book! It's essential reading for bird fanciers, watchers and photographers in Australia.
February 8, 2026
Too heavy for a field guide; overwhelmingly comprehensive and beautifully illustrated
May 25, 2026
Ready to add more ticks as I find more!!
January 12, 2016
(This started/finished date is totally arbitrary.)
This isn't exactly the type of book you read from cover to cover in a sitting, but it's been so useful and fun and knowledge-enhancing that it's an easy five stars. I am but a very very casual birder so I can't say how it compares to other guides, but the pictures are fantastic and the information is even better. I've had it a solid four or five months, but I still use it all the time. Yesterday, I consulted the section on birds of prey to confirm that the bird cooly soaring two metres above my head on a bushwalk yesterday was indeed a wedge-tailed eagle. (It was - and a juvenile, I learned, which was a testament to how big the adults really are because *it was damn huge*.) This morning, the king parrot couple who come to my house for sunflower seeds brought along five kids I'd never met before. There was a male and female who were clearly the older siblings, but also three younger ones with black eyes, and all had mostly green plumage (which, in adults, means that they're females). The book informed me that all young king parrots have the adult female's colouring, and the males turn red in patches as they age. I'm now gleefully looking forward to watching the young males go through parrot puberty and grow the dorky patches of red feathers. Basically, this book is great.
This isn't exactly the type of book you read from cover to cover in a sitting, but it's been so useful and fun and knowledge-enhancing that it's an easy five stars. I am but a very very casual birder so I can't say how it compares to other guides, but the pictures are fantastic and the information is even better. I've had it a solid four or five months, but I still use it all the time. Yesterday, I consulted the section on birds of prey to confirm that the bird cooly soaring two metres above my head on a bushwalk yesterday was indeed a wedge-tailed eagle. (It was - and a juvenile, I learned, which was a testament to how big the adults really are because *it was damn huge*.) This morning, the king parrot couple who come to my house for sunflower seeds brought along five kids I'd never met before. There was a male and female who were clearly the older siblings, but also three younger ones with black eyes, and all had mostly green plumage (which, in adults, means that they're females). The book informed me that all young king parrots have the adult female's colouring, and the males turn red in patches as they age. I'm now gleefully looking forward to watching the young males go through parrot puberty and grow the dorky patches of red feathers. Basically, this book is great.
January 21, 2009
Excellent Field Guide for anyone wanting to learn more about Australian Birds.
April 29, 2014
Beautiful book, stunning illustrations, detailed descriptions of both juvenile, adult and of both genders of the birds. A must have for an animal lover
June 18, 2014
The slightly bigger size is amply compensated by the beauty and quality of the illustrations and information contained within. Really a work of art as much as a guide.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews