A great way to learn "jizz"! (Identifying Birds by Behaviour - Dominic Couzens)

Member Name: leetemplar

Product:	Identifying Birds by Behaviour - Dominic Couzens
Date:	20/04/07 (90 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A brilliant way to learn bird behaviour, covers what most fieldguides can't

Disadvantages: Some pages are too busy, no details on bird distribution

Birdwatchers often rely on something called "jizz" (no sniggering at the back there). This is the general behaviour, habits and all round impression that can help clinch an ID between two very similar species. For example, on paper a Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler look almost identical, but with experience and knowledge, subtle differences in behaviour can help the birdwatcher tell one from the other with increasing ease.

There are hundreds of fieldguides available, and while some of them are excellent, it's almost impossible to convey this "jizz" in the description of species, which can leave you scratching your head in some instances. Luckily, prolific bird author Dominic Couzens has come to the aid with this brilliant book.

Sorted by bird family, and illustrated by drawings, this book gives vital clues on what to look out for to help you identify the birds you see. It gives you details on how birds fly, how they swim, how they feed, what numbers they travel in, how they interact with other species, how they stand, details of courtship, nesting... any piece of information that can help identify a particular species. And while the birds are sorted with related species, confusable species from other families are also featured on the same pages to show their distinctions.

Be warned though, this does not replace a fieldguide, and can be seen more as a companion piece that will help you identify birds with more precision. While visual identification and song are often touched on, great detail are not given on either (and in some instances are absent altogether). This is not a great criticism, as that is outside the remit of the book, but be warned.

The other problem, as with other field guides, is if you just want the book for British birds, you have all the European ones in there too, and without distribution maps you may have to keep cross referencing with a traditional field guide to check the birds occur in your area at the right time of year.

The main criticism is that the pages are often very crowded and busy, and the drawings, while mainly fine and illustrating bird behaviour well, are sometimes patchy in quality.

Those minor criticisms aside, this is an excellent book that should be on every birdwatcher's bookcase, and gives you some vital ID secrets that would take many years to learn in the field.

Summary: An essential book for any birdwatcher