Southern African Birdfinder: Guide to finding over 1 000 species from South Africa to Zambia, is the ideal companion to all local field guides to birds, and fills a gap in the market for a comprehensive guide to the region's top birding spots and to finding southern Africa's most desirable birds. After an introduction to birding in the southern African region, the authors identify and describe more than 200 top birding sites and associated birds across South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, the Indian Ocean islands and the little-documented, but increasingly popular areas of Angola, Mozambique, Zambia and Malawi. All sites are ranked into one of three categories of priority: essential (the region's best); excellent (top sites but expendable to a time-limited visitor) and local interest (ideal for those looking for new areas to explore). All sites include practical details of access, best times to visit, habitat diversity and general natural history. A guide to finding the region's top 100 birds and an annotated checklist conclude the book.

Callan Cohen is a Ph.D. student at the Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology at UCT, working on the evolution of the bustard family. He obtained his B.Sc. (Hons) in Avian Biology. He is Vice-Chairman of the Cape Bird Club. Claire Spottiswoode is a Doctoral student at Cambridge University, with a strong interest in evolutionary biology. Both authors have professionally led birding tours for the foreign market on a part-time basis. These activities keep them in the field throughout the year, and have afforded them intimate knowledge of the region's best birding sites. They are authors of Essential Birding, Western South Africa - Key Routes from Cape Town to the Kalahari (2000).