A compact, lightweight and informative guide to 310 of the most common birds found in the UK.

A compact, lightweight and informative guide to 310 of the most common birds found in the UK. RSPB Pocket Guide to British Birds is a compact, lightweight and informative field guide, featuring 310 bird species regularly seen in the UK. Species are illustrated in all distinct plumage forms likely to be observed in the wild by renowned bird artist Stephen Message, and a detailed distribution map for the British Isles is also provided. Concise text covers appearance, behaviour and voice – focusing on key identification points – and also outlines where you will find the species, describes its seasonal movements and includes the latest UK population data. Finally, confusion species are cross-referenced, with their most important and easily noted differences from the subject species described. A comprehensive introduction provides a guide on how and where to find birds, and how to make the most useful and rewarding observations for newcomers to birdwatching. Uniquely, this guide also provides images and descriptions for not only a selection of rarer visitors, but also for a range of domestic species and certain commonly observed aberrant forms of more familiar birds, all of which are omitted from most field guides but can cause great confusion for beginners when encountered in the wild.

"Ideal for taking with you wherever you are […] every casual birder should have one." - Bird Watching

"This small book packs quite a punch … it’s nice to think [it] might be found in car glove boxes, jacket pockets and thousands of rucksacks across the UK." - British Trust for Ornithology

"Like a condensed version of the RSPB’s excellent Handbook of British Birds, this will be especially useful for the improving birder!" - British Trust for Ornithology