Books About Birds of Somalia

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Africa

For bird books that cover all, or large parts, of Africa see:


Birds of The Horn of Africa: Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, Somalia, Socotra Ian Sinclair and Peter Ryan Chistopher Helm 2nd edition 2011 "The Horn of Africa has the highest endemism of any region in Africa, and around 70 species are found nowhere else in the world. Many of these are confined to the isolated highlands of Ethiopia and Eritrea, but a large number of larks specialise in the arid parts of Somalia and adjoining eastern Ethiopia, whilst the island of Socotra has its own suite of endemic species. The region is also an important migration route and wintering site for many Palearctic birds. This is the first field guide to the birds of this fascinating region, and a companion to Birds of East Africa by two of the same authors. Over 200 magnificent plates by John Gale and Brian Small illustrate every species that has ever occurred in the five countries covered by the guide, and the succinct text covers the key identification criteria. Special attention is paid to the voices of the species, and over 1000 up-to-date colour distribution maps are included. This long-awaited guide is a much-needed addition to the literature on African birds and an essential companion for birders visiting the region."	Buy from amazon.co.uk

Birds of Eastern Africa Ber Van Perlo Princeton Illustrated Checklist Princeton University Press Updated edition 2009 "This is a fully updated edition of the only pocket guide that illustrates and describes all 1,487 bird species of eastern Africa, an area that includes Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, and Yemen's Socotra Island. This huge region's rich birdlife includes some of the most colorful species anywhere on earth - including ostriches, albatrosses, boobies, lovebirds, parrots, parakeets, kingfishers, and bee-eaters. The 96 color plates group similar species and subspecies, and the text directly opposite the plates describes each bird's habitat and key physical, behavioral, and vocal characteristics. Distribution maps show the range and frequency of each species. This is an indispensable guide for any birder who wants to explore eastern Africa's wealth of birds."	Buy from amazon.co.uk

Birds of Eastern Africa Ber Van Perlo Collins 2009 "Eastern Africa is becoming an increasingly popular destination for people who want to see first-hand the abundant widlife of this vast continent. 'Birds of Eastern Africa' is the only field guide to feature over 450 species found in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia and Somalia (including Socotra Island). Including full colour illustrations of each bird, key features on habitat, songs and calls, and distribution maps for each species, this guide contains all the information needed to quickly identify the birds found in this vast region."	Buy from amazon.co.uk

Birds of The Horn of Africa: Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, Somalia, Socotra Ian Sinclair and Peter Ryan Chistopher Helm 2009 "The Horn of Africa has the highest endemism of any region in Africa, and around 70 species are found nowhere else in the world. Many of these are confined to the isolated highlands of Ethiopia and Eritrea, but a large number of larks specialise in the arid parts of Somalia and adjoining eastern Ethiopia, whilst the island of Socotra has its own suite of endemic species. The region is also an important migration route and wintering site for many Palearctic birds. This is the first field guide to the birds of this fascinating region, and a companion to Birds of East Africa by two of the same authors. Over 200 magnificent plates by John Gale and Brian Small illustrate every species that has ever occurred in the five countries covered by the guide, and the succinct text covers the key identification criteria. Special attention is paid to the voices of the species, and over 1000 up-to-date colour distribution maps are included."	Buy from amazon.co.uk

Birds of the Horn of Africa: Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, Somalia, and Socotra Nigel Redman, Terry Stevenson & John Fanshawe Princeton Field Guides Princeton University Press 2009 "Birds of the Horn of Africa is the first field guide to the more than 1,000 species of resident, migrant, and vagrant birds found in northeast Africa. Covering Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, Somalia, and the Socotra archipelago, this comprehensive, easy-to-use guide features more than 2,600 illustrations on 213 full-color plates, and a color distribution map for every species. Detailed species accounts on facing pages include descriptions of key identification features, similar species, geographical variation, habitat, status, and voice. This field-ready guide also includes a glossary, identification tips, and information about bird habitats. Birds of the Horn of Africa is an essential resource for birders, naturalists, and travelers in the region."	Buy from amazon.co.uk

Birds of Somalia John Ash and John Miskell Illustrations: Martin Woodcock Pica Press 1998 "Somalia, with seven endemic species, is one of the most important bird areas in Africa; it is also one of the least well-known. Birds of Somalia is a model of its kind and will inspire many other similar volumes. Its essence is to provide an atlas of 654 maps showing the distribution of all the species known from the country; each species account gives where relevant a bird's preferred habitat, its relative abundance, and details of migration, breeding season and clutch size. Much of the ornithological content of the book is based on personal experience. About 70% of the observations on the maps were provided by the authors and they claim to have seen all but one of the 654 birds on the Somali list. Besides adding over 50 first time records to it, they were also responsible for finding and adding to science one new species and four new subspecies of birds in Somalia. Chapters summarise the available knowledge on bird migration and breeding seasons within Somalia. The records are astonishing when it is considered that they come from such a little-known country. The results of the rather limited amount of ringing carried out in the country are also summarised, and the recoveries of ringed birds are of extreme interest. Christopher Hemming contributes what amounts to a major treatise on the soils and vegetation of Somalia, Carlo Violani and Fausto Barbagli provide a historical review of ornithology and ornithologists, Professor Celia Nyamweru describes the geology, and Peter Robertson gives an up-to-date perspective on the state of bird and habitat conservation and the issues involved. A magnificent series of coloured plates by Martin Woodcock is included which depict 25 little-known birds special to the region, including the new species and races. There is also a selection of habitat photographs and excellent maps showing the topography, geology and vegetation of the country."	Buy from amazon.co.uk

The Birds of British Somaliland and the Gulf of Aden Their Life Histories, Breeding Habits and Eggs Volumes III and IV Sir Geoffrey Archer and Eva M. Godman Colour plates: Archibald Thorburn, Henrik Gronvold Oliver & Boyd 1961 Published in four volumes. Volumes I and II in 1937 and volumes III and IV in 1961. "These volumes complete the series of which the first two volumes appeared in 1937, The aim of the work is to give details of the life histories, breeding habits and eggs of the birds of the whole of the Red Sea area and the Horn of Africa - an area of great ornithological interest because of its situation at the crossroads of north-south and east-west migration routes. The coasts of the Red Sea are followed by many hundreds of thousands of Palaearctic birds ranging in size from tiny warblers to great Steppe-Eagles in their migration from Eastern Europe and Western Asia. The east-west route across the area is followed by migratory birds from Southern Asia to Northern Somaliland."

The Birds of British Somaliland and the Gulf of Aden Their Life Histories, Breeding Habits and Eggs Volumes I and II Sir Geoffrey Archer and Eva M. Godman Colour plates: Archibald Thorburn, Henrik Gronvold Gurney & Jackson 1937 Published in four volumes. Volumes I and II in 1937 and volumes III and IV in 1961.

On the Birds collected during an Expedition through Somaliland and Southern Abyssinia to the Blue Nile, Part II W.R. Ogilvie Grant Field notes by Lord Lovat 2 colour plates (Francolinus tetraoninus / Francolinus harwoodi): J.G. Keulemans 1 colour plate (Cuprimulgus stellatus): H. Grönvold Ibis: Volume 42, Issue 2, pages 304-337 1900 Opening lines: "Mesopicus spodocephalus (Bonap.); Hargitt, Cat. I3. Brit. Mus. xviii. p. 370 (1890). The immature female is in very worn plumage and differs from the adult in having the back mostly brownish, tinged here and there with golden yellow, the breast and belly indistinctly barred with white, with only a trace of the red stripe down the middle"

On the Birds collected during an Expedition through Somaliland and Southern Abyssinia to the Blue Nile W.R. Ogilvie Grant Field notes by Lord Lovat 2 colour plates (Oriolus meneliki / Sporaeginthus margaritae and Barbatula xanthosticta): J.G. Keulemans Ibis: Volume 42, Issue 1, pages 115-178 1900 Opening lines: "Few African expeditions of recent years have proved more interestiug, or have led to more important scientific results, than the adventurous journey lately undertaken by Mr. H. Weld-Blundell and Lord Lovat. Starting from Berbera on the llth December, 1898, they proceeded in a westerly direction through Northern Somaliland and the North Galla country, arriving at Addis Abbeba towards the end of January. Thence they proceeded northward through Shoa as far as Lake Haik, to pay their respects to the Emperor Menelik. Mr. Weld-Blundell having on a previous occasion visited Abyssinia, and established the most friendly terms with His Majesty, the party was received with the utmost cordiality and courtesy, and every assistance was offered in traversing the unexplored part of the country to the west"

On the Results of a Collecting-Tour of Three Months in Somaliland R. McD. Hawkes Color plate (Apalis viridiceps and Mirafra marginata): J.G. Keulemans Ibis: Volume 41, Issue 1, pages 52-4 1899 Opening lines: "Mr. G. H. Cheetham and I, having engaged the services of Mr. Harwood (who had been before in Somaliland with Mr. E. Lort Phillips, and had there done excellent work as collector, arrived at Aden on October 17th, 1897, and called on Colonel Sadler, the Political Resident and Consul for the Somali coast. Col. Sadler told us that we could not be allowed to go into Abyssinia, as we had planned, as at that time the treaty with Menelik had not been ratified, and that for the same reason we could not go into Somaliland unless we undertook not to pass outside the British Protectorate."

Narrative of a Visit to Somaliland in 1897, with Field-notes on the Birds obtained during the Expedition E. Lort Phillips 3 color plate (Rhyhchostruthus louisae / Tricholaema blandi and Pseudalaemon freemantlii / Fancolinus lorti): J.G. Keulemans Ibis: Volume 40, Issue 3, pages 382-425 1898 Opening lines: "Early in January 1897 I returned to Somaliland accompanied by my wife, my niece (Miss Gillett), her brother (Mr. F. Gillett), Mr. G. P. V. Aylmer, Mr. Ivers Bland, and Mr. Guy Fremantle. I had engaged to assist me with my specimens a young taxidermist, Leonard Harwood, who, with Aylmer's man, George, completed our rather formidable party of Europeans. Our object was to explore the Goolis range to the eastward of Berbera as far as Mount Wagga, to add, if possible, to the scientific knowledge of this part of Africa, and to avail ourselves, as well, of any sport obtainable along and beyond the reservation-line that has been drawn in so arbitrary a manner by the 'powers that be' at Aden."

Catalogue Of A Collection Of Birds Obtained By The Expedition Into Somali-Land D.G. Elliot Ornithological Series, Vol 1, No. 2 Field Columbian Museum 1897 Opening lines: The following species were obtained during the travels of myself and party throughout Somali-land into Ogaden. The main object of the expedition was to procure specimens of the mammals inhabiting the country, and I could give but little attention to the birds, much to my regret, but I endeavored to obtain as many species as possible without attempting to gather a series of any one. This will account for the small number of specimens belonging to any one species. It was not that they were difficult to collect, for I never was in a land where birds were more numerous and tame, and an expedition properly equipped for bird collecting, could procure a very large series of specimens in a comparatively short time. In accordance with the custom prevailing in the Field Columbian Museum, this collection should have been handed over to the Department of Ornithology, but Professor C. B. Cory, the Curator, is at present absent in Florida, and has requested me to determine the species, and publish the list. In order to facilitate comparison of the lists, I have followed in this one the arrangement adopted by Dr. Sharpe in his catalogue of the birds obtained by Dr. Donaldson Smith in his journey to Lake Rudolph. I am indebted to my friend, Dr. Sharpe, for the privilege of access to the British Museum collection, for the purpose of com- paring the following species with the specimens in the great series of that institution.