Storks, Ibises and Spoonbills of the World

Some of the world's largest and most spectacular birds are to be found among this group of wading birds. Tragically, they also include many of the world's most endangered species, as changes in land use erode their wetland habitats. Some, like the White stork, have lived alongside humans for hundreds of years and are well known from numerous scientific studies. Others, like the Storm's Stork and the Ibises of West Africa, South-East Asia and South America live so secluded a life in the remote corners of the globe that they will probably be extinct before even the most basic details of their biology are known. In this definitive monograph, three authors and two artists have combined their skills to capture what is known of these birds, and to picture them in beautiful paintings and photographs. The text opens with general chapters on taxonomy and feeding, and breeding behavior, following which, each species is dealt with in detail. Between them, the authors have personal experience of most of the species in five continents, and pay particular attention to documenting the current status of the threatened and rare species.