Field Guide to Birds of Senegal and The Gambia
Birds of Senegal and The Gambia – the ultimate guide for travellers and birdwatchers visiting one of Africa’s richest birdwatching regions.
The Gambia, together with the country that envelops it, Senegal, has an avifauna of more than 700 regularly occurring species, including many Western Palearctic migrants from September to April, and a significant list of highly sought-after resident West African birds, such as Egyptian Plover. There is a fantastic selection of Sahel specialities that are more easily seen here than anywhere else. Senegal has become a reliable locality for Golden Nightjar, Quail-plover and Cricket Warbler, and the near-endemic Mali Firefinch occurs in the southeast of the country. Birdwatchers in this region can also find Savile’s Bustard, Adamawa Turtle Dove, Little Grey Woodpecker, Yellow Penduline Tit, Sudan Golden Sparrow and Exclamatory Paradise Whydah, while the Saloum delta’s huge roost of tens of thousands of African Swallow-tailed Kites is one of the world's top birding spectacles.
This authoritative guide covers all species in the two countries, including details of all residents, migrants and known vagrants. Almost 150 stunning colour plates depict every species, comprehensively covering all the distinct plumages and subspecies likely to be encountered. Concise species accounts describe key identification features, status, range, habitat and voice, accompanied by accurate distribution maps.
This compact guide is an essential companion for any birder visiting this ornithologically rich slice of western Africa.
Nik Borrow studied painting at Wimbledon School of Art and is responsible for the illustrations and maps in this book. He has a particular interest in the Afrotropics and has been birding in sub-Saharan Africa since 1987, principally leading birding tours.
Ron Demey is a freelance ornithologist who has lived and worked in several West African countries for many years. During this time he has travelled extensively in the region, amassing a considerable knowledge of its avifauna. Ron is currently editor of Bulletin of the African Bird Club.