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The second edition of this guide was a staple reference for anyone visiting the Middle East. The region, rich in bird life and with many previously difficult-to-visit states opening up to tourism, has seen a boom in visiting birders. That, combined with a band of dedicated expats and, more recently, a growing knowledge and interest in birds and birding by local residents in the region, has seen knowledge in the Middle East’s avifauna continue to advance. This updated third edition takes all of this into account, expanding its coverage (the third edition is some 26 pages longer than the second) and fine-tuning existing species accounts.

The illustrations are of the same high quality as in the second edition, and I was surprised to see just how many plates had either been repainted or expanded to take advantage of the latest advances in identification. The text remains concise but informative and has also been updated throughout. QR codes have been added and link directly to recordings of each species in xeno-canto.com – a neat addition, although I was pleased to see that text descriptions of the voice haven’t been done away with completely and still appear in the species text in the book for those times when the nearest internet or 4G signal is some hundreds of kilometres out of reach!

Birds of the Middle East remains the standard field reference to the wonderful birds of this magical region.

Stephen Menzie