Reader's Digest Complete Book of Australian Birds
Encyclopedia
The Reader's Digest Complete Book of Australian Birds is a book first published by Reader’s Digest Services Pty Ltd of Sydney
, Australia
in 1976 and reprinted several times, with a completely revised edition issued in 1986.
species recorded from Australia, mostly at one species per page, using photographs sourced from the National Photographic Index of Australian Wildlife
. The distinctive, mainly blue, cover features a photograph of a pair of Olive-backed Sunbird
s.
Before the individual species accounts which fill most of the book there is a foreword
by Alec H. Chisholm
and sections on “Where birds live” and “Naming and identifying birds”, while following the species accounts are chapters on “Rare visitors, escaped captives and unsuccessful introductions”, “Classification by order and family”, “Behaviour that distinguishes species” by Ian Rowley, “Migrants and nomads” and “How birds’ numbers are regulated” by H.J. Frith
, “Birds of prehistoric Australia” by G.F. van Tets
, and “The mysterious origins of Australian birds” by Richard Schodde
, before the indexes and acknowledgments.
, the journal of the Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union
, said
The first edition was reprinted, with minor corrections, in 1977, 1979, 1982 and 1983.
The second edition was reprinted in 1988, 1990 and 2007.
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in 1976 and reprinted several times, with a completely revised edition issued in 1986.
Description
The book is small folio in size, 330 mm in height by 230 mm in width. It describes and illustrates birdBird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
species recorded from Australia, mostly at one species per page, using photographs sourced from the National Photographic Index of Australian Wildlife
National Photographic Index of Australian Wildlife
The National Photographic Index of Australian Wildlife was founded as a project of the Australian Museum on 3 June 1969 to compile a comprehensive collection of photographs of Australian bird species. The founder, Donald Trounson, served as the project’s chief executive officer until 1981, when...
. The distinctive, mainly blue, cover features a photograph of a pair of Olive-backed Sunbird
Olive-backed Sunbird
The Olive-backed Sunbird, Cinnyris jugularis, also known as the Yellow-bellied Sunbird, is a species of sunbird found from Southern Asia to Australia....
s.
Before the individual species accounts which fill most of the book there is a foreword
Foreword
A foreword is a piece of writing sometimes placed at the beginning of a book or other piece of literature. Written by someone other than the primary author of the work, it often tells of some interaction between the writer of the foreword and the book's primary author or the story the book tells...
by Alec H. Chisholm
Alexander Hugh Chisholm
Alexander Hugh Chisholm was a noted Australian journalist, newspaper editor, author and amateur ornithologist. He was a member of the Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union , President of the RAOU 1939-1940, and Editor of its journal the Emu 1926-1928. He was elected a Fellow of the RAOU in 1941...
and sections on “Where birds live” and “Naming and identifying birds”, while following the species accounts are chapters on “Rare visitors, escaped captives and unsuccessful introductions”, “Classification by order and family”, “Behaviour that distinguishes species” by Ian Rowley, “Migrants and nomads” and “How birds’ numbers are regulated” by H.J. Frith
Harold James Frith
Harold James Frith AO was an Australian administrator and ornithologist. He was born at Kyogle, New South Wales and studied Agricultural Science at Sydney University. He first joined the CSIRO Division of Plant Industry but later transferred to the Division of Wildlife and carried out extensive...
, “Birds of prehistoric Australia” by G.F. van Tets
Gerard Frederick van Tets
Gerard Frederick van Tets , otherwise known as Jerry van Tets, was a twentieth century English ornithologist and paleontologist. Born in London on 19 January 1929, he became a member of the American Ornithologists' Union in 1958 and studied at the University of British Columbia, obtaining his PhD...
, and “The mysterious origins of Australian birds” by Richard Schodde
Richard Schodde
Richard Schodde, OAM is an Australian botanist and ornithologist.Schodde studied at the University of Adelaide where he received a BSc in 1960 and a PhD in 1970. During the 1960s he was a botanist with the CSIRO Division of Land Research and Regional Survey in Papua New Guinea...
, before the indexes and acknowledgments.
First edition
The consultant editor of the 616-page first edition was H.J. Frith. A review by Simon Bennett in the EmuEmu (journal)
Emu, subtitled Austral Ornithology, is the peer-reviewed scientific journal of the Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union. The journal was established in 1901 and is the oldest ornithological journal published in Australia...
, the journal of the Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union
Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union
The Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union, also known as Birds Australia, was founded in 1901 to promote the study and conservation of the native bird species of Australia and adjacent regions. This makes it Australia's oldest national birding association. It is also Australia's largest...
, said
”The Reader's Digest book is a co-operative effort, combining contemporary expertise in Australian ornithologywith the photographic excellence of the National Photographic Index of Australian Birds.”
”Almost every species is illustrated by one or sometimes two colour photographs. These are of high quality and no doubt represent the best published assemblage of photographs of Australian birds. The few poor quality and black-and-white photographs can be excused; the picture of the Paradise ParrotParadise ParrotThe Paradise Parrot was a colourful medium-sized parrot native to the grassy woodlands of the Queensland - New South Wales border area of northeastern Australia. Once moderately common within its fairly restricted range, the last live bird was seen in 1927...
, for example, is the only one known and is of considerable historic interest. Although not all photographs were taken in the field, the techniques used convey a natural setting.”
”The text accurately summarizes much that is known of Australian birds. The list of contributors is like a Who's Who of Australian ornithology, which makes the reviewer's job difficult. The information is presented in an easily read style, free from jargon. It is good to see many ecological and conservational concepts in the text. The only major criticism relates to the information on distribution. Some of the maps are not consistent with the text (e.g. Black ButcherbirdBlack ButcherbirdThe Black Butcherbird is a species of bird in the Cracticidae family.It is found in Australia, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea....
and Noisy MinerNoisy MinerThe Noisy Miner is a bird common to the eastern and southern states of Australia. It ranges from northern Queensland along the eastern coast to South Australia and Tasmania. Its typical diet consists of nectar, fruit and insects, and occasionally it feeds on small reptiles or amphibians...
s) or with published information.”
The first edition was reprinted, with minor corrections, in 1977, 1979, 1982 and 1983.
Second edition
Frith died in 1982; when a thoroughly revised and updated edition (ISBN 0949819999) was issued in 1986 the consultant editors were Richard Schodde and Sonia Tidemann. Chisholm’s foreword was replaced by one by the new editors, the chapters at the back of the book were moved to the front, and new material (e.g. a chapter on “The functions of feathers”) was added. In the foreword Schodde and Tidemann say”One of the many purposes of this book is to provide the information that will allow general appreciation of the life style and habitat needs of Australia’s birds. From the moment it appeared, the Reader’s Digest Complete Book of Australian Birds became the pacemaker as the most comprehensive and authoritative of popular references to the birds of our continent. Its authority stemmed – as now – from its association with the CSIROCommonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research OrganisationThe Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation is the national government body for scientific research in Australia...
’s Division of Wildlife and Rangelands Research. Most of the first edition, published in 1976, was compiled by staff of the Division; its then Chief, Dr H. J. Frith, was consultant editor.
“The second edition seeks to maintain that standing, its input increased by members of the Division and augmented by additions from other new contributors whose help- we gratefully acknowledge.
“Because few field guideField guideA field guide is a book designed to help the reader identify wildlife or other objects of natural occurrence . It is generally designed to be brought into the 'field' or local area where such objects exist to help distinguish between similar objects...
s were then available, the first edition featured identification notes and the biology of our birds. Many gaps have since been filled, allowing us to stress their habits more: where they live, what they feed on and how they breed, aspects not emphasised in any other publication on Australian birds.
“The comprehensiveness of the new text springs from a careful updating of information from research on all species. Readers who skim its surface will notice at once the expanded text, the corrections in classification – though these are few – and the many changes to maps of distribution, based on the Atlas of Australian Birds just published by the Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union. Others who dig deeper will find that the accounts of most species have been revised extensively and many completely rewritten, including all additional species; not one species has been left unadjusted.”
The second edition was reprinted in 1988, 1990 and 2007.