In this sumptuous coffee table book, the John Voelcker Bird Book Fund has updated, expanded and revisited this captivating group of nectar-feeding birds. In collaboration with acclaimed illustrator Gail Darroll, Roberts presents accounts for all 23 species, including the latest distribution maps generated from SABAP2 data. Co-authored by professional ornithologist and sunbird researcher Dr Mark Brown, and accomplished Roberts artist and JVBBF Trustee Ingrid Weiersbye, this book is written in an easily accessible style. Here, a comprehensive species account including identifying features, food plants and habitat preferences, is provided for each sunbird and sugarbird in the sub-region. These are accompanied by extraordinary paintings, as well as selected photographs that highlight plumage variation and behaviour.
For everyone who has ever been mesmerised by the dazzling iridescence of these birds, this book offers a visual feast and a fascinating insight into their world.
235mm × 315mm × 50 mm
9781920602086
November 2024
Natural history
Hard cover with dust jacket
352 pages
Gail Darroll is not only known for her current work but also for her collaboration with Professor Gordon Maclean in the 1986 coffee table publication Ducks of sub-Saharan Africa, sharing the Lady Usher Literary prize with him. She has also participated alongside international artists in major South African natural history exhibiti ons and her artworks hang in private and corporate collections worldwide. Gail lives and paints full-time in the small town of Wilderness in the southern Cape of South Africa.
Mark Brown grew up with a deep and abiding interest in all species of birds and much of his career over the past 25 years has been spent studying them. Mark has worked on a range of bird pollination and avian physiology projects and has since become a leading researcher in the field of nectar-feeding birds in southern Africa. He has published over 100 scientific papers. Working across the fields of ecology, physiology, pollinati on ecology, animal behaviour and conservation biology, Mark is an accomplished ornithologist and bird ringer and shares his knowledge in public lectures, articles and publications such as this one.
Ingrid Weiersbye describes herself as an artist-naturalist, illustrator and part-time writer with a lifelong obsession with her subject matter of the natural environment, fostered by her Zimbabwean upbringing and love for the African continent. She has illustrated either partially or solely four specialist bird guides for southern Africa and contributed text and content for this Sunbirds and Sugarbirds publication.
Guy Upfold is a passionate photographer and wildlife enthusiast with a deep appreciation for birds and plants. He has extensive experience in desktop publishing, layout and design and has been involved in the producti on of publications that are renowned in the southern African ornithological and botanical communities. As a devoted trustee of the JVBBF, Guy designed this book and made a significant contribution to its contents, showcasing his enthusiasm for birds.
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