Wading Birds of the World

Author: Eric and Richard Soothill

Number of pages: 334

Year published: 1989

Edition: 2nd

Published by: Blandford Press

Softcover

ISBN: 0-7137-2130-8

Web site: Open Library

The Wildebeest's Review of Wading Birds of the World

The title “Wading birds of the world” got me thinking as to what constitutes a “wader.” I imagined that it is a bird that spends a certain amount of time wading through water. Flipping through the book I can see that all the prime suspects are there but there are others that I wouldn’t associate with water.

So what species are included. Well, it includes storks through to sandpipers and everything inbetween. Around 300 species are included in the book of which 96 species are illustrated with colour photographs. There are also numerous excellent line drawings throughout the book.

The text descriptions of the birds include details on description, behaviour, habitat, food, voice, display, breeding and distribution. The write-ups are good and would definitely aid in identification although this book can’t really be described as a field guide.

So, what species do I feel that would be out of their depth in a puddle of water? I suppose that some of the larger Plovers are the best examples. Right now I have a Crowned Plover standing in the road outside of my study. I can’t say that I have ever seen one of these birds near water.

Overall, this is a well-produced book with plenty of useful information. It is well-illustrated and has got me wishing that I could go and do some birding along the shoreline of a lagoon or estuary.

Some of the subjects in this publication

Grey Heron - Page: 18
Goliath Heron - Page: 20
Black-headed Heron - Page: 24
Purple Heron - Page: 26
Green-backed Heron - Page: 28
Malagasy Pond-Heron - Page: 33
Squacco Heron - Page: 34
Rufous-bellied Heron - Page: 36
Cattle Egret - Page: 38
Great Egret - Page: 40
Little Blue Heron - Page: 42
Black Heron - Page: 42
Little Egret - Page: 44
Yellow-billed Egret - Page: 46
Slaty Egret - Page: 52
Black-crowned Night-Heron - Page: 56
White-backed Night-Heron - Page: 58
Little Bittern - Page: 66
Dwarf Bittern - Page: 68
Eurasian Bittern - Page: 70
Hamerkop - Page: 74
Yellow-billed Stork - Page: 76
African Openbill - Page: 80
Abdims Stork - Page: 81
White Stork - Page: 82
Woolly-necked Stork - Page: 84
Black Stork - Page: 86
Saddle-billed Stork - Page: 90
Marabou Stork - Page: 92
African Sacred Ibis - Page: 96
Southern Bald Ibis - Page: 101
Hadeda Ibis - Page: 104
Glossy Ibis - Page: 109
African Spoonbill - Page: 111
Lesser Flamingo - Page: 115
Greater Flamingo - Page: 118
Wattled Crane - Page: 124
Blue Crane - Page: 130
Grey Crowned Crane - Page: 134
Greater Painted-snipe - Page: 138
African Black Oystercatcher - Page: 142
Eurasian Oystercatcher - Page: 144
White-crowned Lapwing - Page: 147
Blacksmith Lapwing - Page: 148
Crowned Lapwing - Page: 152
Long-toed Lapwing - Page: 154
Senegal Lapwing - Page: 159
Black-winged Lapwing - Page: 160
African Wattled Lapwing - Page: 162
American Golden Plover - Page: 173
Grey Plover - Page: 173
Kentish Plover - Page: 174
Caspian Plover - Page: 176
Little Ringed Plover - Page: 180
Common Ringed Plover - Page: 182
Greater Sand Plover - Page: 184
White-fronted Plover - Page: 184
Lesser Sand Plover - Page: 187
Kittlitzs Plover - Page: 190
Three-banded Plover - Page: 194
Eurasian Curlew - Page: 206
Common Whimbrel - Page: 208
Hudsonian Godwit - Page: 213
Bar-tailed Godwit - Page: 214
Black-tailed Godwit - Page: 216
Terek Sandpiper - Page: 220
Spotted Redshank - Page: 222
Lesser Yellowlegs - Page: 224
Wood Sandpiper - Page: 226
Common Sandpiper - Page: 230
Greater Yellowlegs - Page: 234
Common Greenshank - Page: 236
Green Sandpiper - Page: 238
Marsh Sandpiper - Page: 242
Common Redshank - Page: 244
Great Snipe - Page: 251
African Snipe - Page: 254
Ruddy Turnstone - Page: 258
Sanderling - Page: 269
Dunlin - Page: 270
Bairds Sandpiper - Page: 272
Red Knot - Page: 273
Curlew Sandpiper - Page: 274
White-rumped Sandpiper - Page: 276
Pectoral Sandpiper - Page: 282
Little Stint - Page: 283
Long-toed Stint - Page: 289
Temmincks Stint - Page: 290
Great Knot - Page: 291
Broad-billed Sandpiper - Page: 293
Buff-breasted Sandpiper - Page: 296
Ruff - Page: 298
Black-winged Stilt - Page: 300
Pied Avocet - Page: 306
Red Phalarope - Page: 308
Red-necked Phalarope - Page: 310
Wilsons Phalarope - Page: 312
Crab Plover - Page: 314
Spotted Thick-knee - Page: 316
Water Thick-knee - Page: 322

---

Top