BIRDWATCHER'S HIGHLY COMMENDED BIRD BOOK OF THE YEAR Birds of Central Asia is the first field guide to include the former Soviet republics of Kazakhstan, Kirghizstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, along with neighbouring Afghanistan. This vast area includes a diverse variety of habitats, and the avifauna is similarly broad, from sandgrouse, ground jays and larks on the vast steppe and semi-desert to a broad range of raptors, and from woodland species such as warblers and nuthatches to a suite of montane species, such as snowcocks, accentors and snowfinches. This book includes 141 high-quality plates covering every species (and all distinctive races) that occur in the region, along with concise text focusing on identification and accurate colour maps. Important introductory sections introduce the land and its birds. Birds of Central Asia is a must-read for any birder or traveller visiting this remote region.

Raffael Ayé is an ornithologist based at the University of Berne. He is an expert on the birds of Central Asia, with considerable experience in the field. Among his many achievements alongside colleagues Manuel Schweizer and Tobias Roth was the discovery of the breeding grounds of the Large-billed Reed Warbler in Tajikistan.

Birds of Central Asia is the
first field guide to include the former Soviet republics of Kazakhstan,
Kirghizstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, along with
neighbouring Afghanistan. This vast area includes a diverse variety of habitats, and
the avifauna is similarly broad, from sandgrouse, ground jays and
larks on the vast steppe and semi-desert to a broad range of
raptors, and from woodland species such as warblers and nuthatches to a
suite of montane species, such as snowcocks, accentors and snowfinches.