A comprehensive field guide to the avifauna of eastern Asia.

The eastern Asian region, centring on the major islands off the continental coast (including Japan and Taiwan) and the immediately adjacent areas of the Asian continent from Kamchatka in the north, and including the Korean Peninsula, are an important centre of avian diversity. Birds endemic to this region include representatives of many of the major families, from the world's largest eagle - Steller's Sea Eagle - to the tiny Formosan Firecrest.

The east Asian continental coast and the offshore islands also form one of the world's major international bird migration routes, especially for waterfowl, shorebirds and raptors, while the east Asian continental mainland itself is home to a wide range of species little known to western ornithologists such as Scaly-sided Merganser, Oriental Stork and Mugimaki Flycatcher.

The guide facilitates the field identification of every species known from the region, including vagrants. Detailed text by Japan-based ornithologist Mark Brazil covers features such as identification, habitat, vocalisations and similar species, with this allied to accurate colour maps that provide a visual analysis of summer, winter and migratory ranges. Opposing the text, a set of 234 brilliant plates by some of the world's leading bird artists cover all major races and plumage variation.

This major work is the standard reference for birds in the region, and an important companion for any birdwatcher or ornithologist visiting or living in the region.

Mark Brazil is a widely travelled field ornithologist and an experienced writer. He received a doctorate for his studies of the behavioural ecology of the Whooper Swan in Scotland and Iceland. His interest in swans has continued and he spends part of each winter studying them in Hokkaido, where he is currently Professor of Biodiversity and Conservation at Rakuno Gakuen University, Hokkaido. His main research interests have centred around East Asian birds, particularly the Japanese avifauna. Mark has contributed a regular column on natural history to The Japan Times newspaper continuously since 1982