Indian Birds in Focus : Birds of the Indian Subcontinent and Their Habitats

Contents: Introduction. 1. Birds of the water. 2. Birds of the shoreline. 3. Birds of the swamp. 4. Birds of the Grassland. 5. Birds of the scrub. 6. Birds of the desert. 7. Birds of the woods. 8. Birds of the mountains. 9. Birds of human habitation. Afterword. Index.

From the Introduction: "Ornithology has many different ways to classify birds. These can be according to size and colouration, body shape and parts, sex and age, breeding cycle and nesting activity, voice and possible migratory patterns while yet another factor for consideration is the kind of habitat a bird might favour. Birds typically have evolved through their ability to exploit a certain ecological niche. Although the environment a particular bird prefers over another is seldom a defining characteristic, such classification can help in identifying birds in the field and provide valuable data towards understanding their behaviour.

This book of photographic portraits presents both common and seldom seen birds of the Indian subcontinent in their habitats, not just as a way to more clearly identify and hence understand them, but also because it recognizes the important role that environment plays in their survival. The future of birds not only rests on the preservation of their habitats, the avian population is itself an important indication of the health of the environment."