RSPB ID Spotlight Birds of Towns and Cities is a reliable fold-out chart that presents illustrations of 50 of our most widespread and familiar urban birds by renowned artist Stephen Message.

Whether you're spending time in a city centre, walking your usual route to the office or enjoying your local park, a rich variety of birds inhabit the UK's towns and cities. Our urban green spaces offer us easy access to nature in our neighbourhoods, and even the most built-up areas can present exciting and surprising birdwatching opportunities.Observant urban birdwatchers might spy Peregrines nesting high on city buildings or witness thousands of Starlings gathering in impressive murmurations.

The species in the chart are grouped by family and helpfully labelled to assist with identification, while artworks are shown side by side for quick comparison and easy reference at home or in the field. The reverse of the chart provides information on the habitats, behaviour, life cycles and diets of our urban birds, as well as the conservation issues they are facing and how the RSPB is working to support them.

The ID Spotlight charts help wildlife enthusiasts identify and learn more about our most common species using accurate colour illustrations and informative, accessible text.

Stephen Message is one of the UK's foremost bird artists as well as an experienced birdwatcher. He studied Graphic Design, then specialised in natural history illustration at Bournemouth and Poole College of Art and has worked as a freelance artist ever since. Stephen has twice been runner up for the Bird Illustrator of the Year, and he was the BirdwatchArtist of the Year in 2017. Stephen painted the beautiful cover artworks for all four editions of the RSPB Handbook of British Birds. He has illustrated many books in his career, including Waders of Europe, Asia and North America, Bill Oddie's Birds of Britain and Ireland and the Field Guide to the Birds of South-East Asia.

Marianne Taylor is a freelance writer, illustrator and photographer. A passion for all wildlife, but especially birds, has always been a driving force in Marianne's life. Marianne worked in publishing for seven years before taking the plunge as a freelancer in 2007. Since then, she has written more than 25 books for adults and children on a range of natural history subjects.