Check more than 500 birds off your list with the ultimate photographic field guide.

This compact field guide features the highest quality photographs to help you identify more than 500 bird species with ease. Each bird's entry includes clear images at rest and in flight and pictures the male, female, and juvenile where they are different. There is even a handy flight-pattern diagram for those moments when all you catch is a glimpse of them in flight as they dart into a bush. A "similar species" panel picks out the lookalikes that could cause confusion, pointing out the telltale differences.

A section at the front of the book gives vital context, covering bird anatomy, life cycle, behaviour, and habitats. Sometimes birds get blown off course and pop up in unexpected places. Some of these accidental visitors to Britain and Europe are also included as mini profiles, so no opportunity is missed. An accompanying audio app of the birdsong and calls of more than 200 birds helps identify a bird even when it is hard to spot.

Writer, editor, artist, and identification expert, Rob Hume is highly adept at penning detailed identification notes for rarity watchers yet is also skilled at providing interesting descriptions for armchair birdwatchers. He is a lifelong birdwatcher who worked for the RSPB for over 30 years and edited the RSPB’s award-winning Birds magazine.