Books About Birds A guide to books about birds and birdwatching Home | Index | Search | Links | Contact


On this page

Handbook of Australian, New Zealand, and Antarctic Birds (HANZAB)

The Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antartic Birds, published between 1991 and 2006, is one of the world's major ornithological projects. The seven volume set provides a complete and comprehensive account of all 957 bird species in Australia, NZ and Antarctica. The species-by-species accounts provide a complete reference to all aspects of the ecology and behaviour of each bird, as well as full descriptions of their plumages and field identification characters. The paintings provide a unique, beautiful and scientifically accurate record of the full range of each species' plumages. Line diagrams, distribution maps and songagrams are also provided. The species accounts includes comprehensive lists of references.

The geographical area covered by HANZAB comprise; Australia, New Zealand, Antarctica, the Antarctic and subantarctic islands, the external territories of Cocos-Keeling, Christmas, Lord Howe, Norfolk, Kermadec, and Chatham Islands, and the islands and reefs of the Coral Sea.


Australia / New Zealand

For books about birds in the individual countries see:

Australia
New Zealand


OUP pages on the site

Bird Families Of The World

Birds of the Western Palearctic

Handbook of Australian, New Zealand, and Antarctic Birds

Handbook of the Birds of India and Pakistan

Other field guides and h/books

Oxford Ornithology Series

Avian Biology Series

Threatened Birds (India)

Images of Asia (Birds)

Ecology & Evolution Series

Biology of Habitats Series

Techniques in Ecology & Conservation

Other bird related books


 

Handbook of Australian, New Zealand, and Antarctic Birds: Volume 7: Boatbill to Starlings

Editor: P. J. Higgins, J.M. Peter, S.J. Cowling

Illustrations: Jeff Davies

Oxford University Press

2006

"The Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antartic Birds is one of the world's major ornithological projects. This final volume, published in 2 parts, is the culmination of almost two decades of dedication by the editors, artists and volunteers who have now realised the vision to publish a comprehensive summary of our knowledge of all the known bird species that have been recorded in Australia, New Zealand and Antartica."

This volume (in 2 parts) covers 168 species, including the flycatchers, currawongs, riflebirds, ravens, bowerbirds, grass finches, swallows and white-eyes.

Buy from amazon.co.uk

book cover


Handbook of Australian, New Zealand, and Antarctic Birds: Volume 6: Pardlotes to Shrike-thrushes

Editor: P. J. Higgins and J.M. Peter

Illustrations: Jeff Davies

Oxford University Press

2003

"This volume provides detailed descriptions of 107 species, including the pardalotes, gerygones and thornbills, the robins, babblers, wedgebills and quail-thrushes, in addition to the monarchs, flycatchers and fantails. Forty-three colour plates by renowned bird artists such as Peter Marsack and Peter Slater depict all of these species of bird in fine detail, showing those small differentiations in plumage which may be used to determine accurately the age and sex of individual birds."

Buy from amazon.co.uk

book cover


Handbook of Australian, New Zealand, and Antarctic Birds: Volume 5: Tyrant-flycatchers to Chats

Editor: P. J. Higgins, J.M. Peter, W.K. Steele

Illustrations: Jeff Davies

Oxford University Press

2001

"HANZAB is one of the world's major ornithological projects. The first four volumes have attracted several awards, critical praise and an international market. Volume 5 covers 118 species: kingbirds and tyrant-flycatchers; New Zealand wrens; pittas; lyrebirds; scrub-birds; Australian tree-creepers; Australasian wrens (fairy-wrens, grasswrens, and emu-wrens); honeyeaters and chats."

Buy from amazon.co.uk

book cover


Handbook of Australian, New Zealand, and Antarctic Birds: Volume 4: Parrots to Dollarbirds

Editor: P. J. Higgins

Illustrations: Jeff Davies

Oxford University Press

1999

"Volume 4 of HANZAB covers 119 species, of which 107 breed in the region. They include some of the most spectacular birds found in HANZAB, such as cockatoos and cockatriel; parrots, fig-parrots, rosellas and lorikeets; cuckoos and koels; owls; barn owls; frog mouths; nightjars; goatsuckers or nighthawks; owlet-nightjars; swifts; kingfishers; bee-eaters; dollarbirds. The information is presented in sections; field identification, habitat, distribution and population, movements, food, social organization, social behavioura, voice, breeding, plumages, and external morphology. The accounts include black and white illustrations of behavioural postures and plumage features, maps showing breeding and non-breeding distribution, sonograms of calls and songs, and diagrams of timing of breeding and moulting. The accounts conclude with a full list of references."

Buy from amazon.co.uk

book cover


Handbook of Australian, New Zealand, and Antarctic Birds: Volume 3: Snipe to Pigeons

Editor: P. J. Higgins

Illustrations: Jeff Davies

Oxford University Press

1996

"HANZAB is one of the world's major ornithological projects, and the first two volumes have attracted both critical praise and an international market. Volume 3 covers 129 species - the pratincoles, migratory waders and shore-birds, skuas, gulls and terns, and pigeons and doves. Many of the birds are virtually cosmopolitan in their distribution and are familiar to ornithologists throughout the world; such as the migratory waders which travel thousands of kilometres each year from their breeding grounds in the northern hemisphere to spend the southern winter in Australia and New Zealand. Information is presented in sections covering field identification, habitat, distribution and population, movements, food, social organization, social behaviour, voice, breeding, and plumages. Each account has a full list of references and black-and-white illustrations of behavioural postures and plumage features, maps showing breeding and non-breeding distribution, sonograms of calls and songs, and diagrams of timing of breeding and moulting."

Buy from amazon.co.uk

book cover


Handbook of Australian, New Zealand, and Antarctic Birds: Volume 2: Raptors to Lapwings

Editors: S. Marchant and P. J. Higgins

Illustrations: Jeff Davies

Oxford University Press

1994

"Complementing the 196 species detailed in the highly acclaimed first volume, Volume Two deals with 119 of the 900 birds recorded in Australia, New Zealand and Antarctica, the Antarctic and subantarctic islands, the external territories of Cocos-Keeling, Christmas, Lord Howe, Norfolk, Kermadec, and Chatham Islands, and the islands and reefs of the Coral Sea. The information is presented in sections: Field Identification, Habitat, Distribution and Population, Movements, Food, Social Organization, Social Behaviour, Voice, Breeding, and Plumages and related matters, and each account concludes with a full list of references. The accounts also include black-and-white illustrations of behavioural postures and plumage features, maps showing breeding and non-breeding distribution, sonagrams of calls and songs, diagrams of timing of breeding and moulting, and 70 colour plates, specially painted for HANZAB by Jeff Davies."

Buy from amazon.co.uk

book cover


Handbook of Australian, New Zealand, and Antarctic Birds: Volume 1: Ratites to Ducks

Editors: S. Marchant and P. J. Higgins

Illustrations: Jeff Davies

Oxford University Press

1991

"Volume 1 (in 2 parts) covers emus to ducks - 196 species of which 162 breed in the region. The text for each bird includes field identification, habitat, distribution, movements, food, voice, social organization and behaviour, breeding, and plumage. There are superb colour illustrations of every species, showing developmental and seasonal changes in the plumage and bare parts. Distribution both within and beyond the range is shown on maps. Line drawings of displays and other postures, diagrams of the annual cycle of each species, and sonagrams of important calls are also included."

Buy from amazon.co.uk

book cover




Last updated October 2011