LBJs - Little Brown Jobs Made Easier

Authors: Kenneth Newman, David Johnson, Derek Solomon, Alex Masterson

Illustrations: Kenneth Newman and Penny MEakin

Number of pages: 136

Year published: 1998

Edition: 1st

Published by: Southern Book Publishers (Pty) Ltd

Softcover

ISBN: 1 86812 750 8

Website: Further publications from Southern Book Publishers

The Wildebeest's Review of LBJs - Little Brown Jobs Made Easier

Describing a bird as an LBJ is common occurrence amongst birders as it means that they are rather challenging to identify. LBJ stands for “little brown job” and most common refers to cisticolas, warblers, pipits and larks.

Flipping through the colour plates at the front of the book one quickly realises that lots of other birds have been included in this book. You see honeyguides, flycatchers, weavers, sparrows and more. I suppose that each of these bird families does present difficulties, especially when dealing with females and the males are in their non-breeding plumage.

After the colour plates you find the text for each species. Notes on habitat, status, behaviour, call and description included. Line drawings alongside the text help to highlight key identification features.

This is a useful book and small enough to take with you on a birding trip. It is compact yet contains key identification information. My only thought is that perhaps the illustrations could have been larger.

Some of the subjects in this publication

Willow Warbler - Page: 43
Neddicky - Page: 44
Grey Penduline-Tit - Page: 44
Green-backed Honeybird - Page: 45
Brown-backed Honeybird - Page: 45
Grey Tit-Flycatcher - Page: 45
Lesser Honeyguide - Page: 46
Greater Honeyguide - Page: 46
Stierlings Wren-Warbler - Page: 46
Southern Hyliota - Page: 47
Red-faced Crombec - Page: 47
Green-capped Eremomela - Page: 47
Short-winged Cisticola - Page: 48
Burnt-necked Eremomela - Page: 49
Icterine Warbler - Page: 49
Cape Penduline-Tit - Page: 49
African Dusky Flycatcher - Page: 50
Spotted Flycatcher - Page: 50
Pale Flycatcher - Page: 51
Ashy Flycatcher - Page: 51
Long-billed Crombec - Page: 52
Lazy Cisticola - Page: 52
Yellow-bellied Eremomela - Page: 52
Red-winged Warbler - Page: 53
Marico Flycatcher - Page: 53
Bar-throated Apalis - Page: 54
Garden Warbler - Page: 55
Green-backed Camaroptera - Page: 55
Grey-backed Camaroptera - Page: 55
Marsh Warbler - Page: 56
River Warbler - Page: 56
Common Whitethroat - Page: 58
Thrush Nightingale - Page: 58
Olive-tree Warbler - Page: 58
Yellow-breasted Apalis - Page: 59
Kalahari Scrub-Robin - Page: 59
Singing Cisticola - Page: 60
Tawny-flanked Prinia - Page: 60
Tinkling Cisticola - Page: 60
Moustached Grass-Warbler - Page: 61
Rattling Cisticola - Page: 61
Mountain Wheatear - Page: 62
Black-chested Prinia - Page: 62
Drakensberg Prinia - Page: 62
Ant-eating Chat - Page: 63
African Stonechat - Page: 63
Zitting Cisticola - Page: 64
Croaking Cisticola - Page: 64
Desert Cisticola - Page: 65
Wing-snapping Cisticola - Page: 66
Pale-crowned Cisticola - Page: 67
Cloud Cisticola - Page: 68
African Reed-Warbler - Page: 69
Great Reed-Warbler - Page: 70
Lesser Swamp-Warbler - Page: 70
Sedge Warbler - Page: 71
Red-faced Cisticola - Page: 72
Little Rush-Warbler - Page: 72
Dark-capped Yellow Warbler - Page: 73
Broad-tailed Warbler - Page: 73
Chirping Cisticola - Page: 74
Rufous-winged Cisticola - Page: 74
Greater Swamp-Warbler - Page: 74
Grey-backed Cisticola - Page: 75
Wailing Cisticola - Page: 75
Layards Tit-Babbler - Page: 76
Victorins Warbler - Page: 76
Karoo Scrub-Robin - Page: 77
Cape Grassbird - Page: 77
Chat Flycatcher - Page: 78
Familiar Chat - Page: 79
Sickle-winged Chat - Page: 79
Karoo Chat - Page: 80
Tractrac Chat - Page: 80
Karoo Eremomela - Page: 81
Namaqua Warbler - Page: 81
Cinnamon-breasted Warbler - Page: 81
Rufous-eared Warbler - Page: 82
Rockrunner - Page: 82
Black-headed Apalis - Page: 83
Chirinda Apalis - Page: 83
Tiny Greenbul - Page: 84
Dark-backed Weaver - Page: 84
Knysna Warbler - Page: 84
Barratts Warbler - Page: 85
Yellow-throated Woodland-Warbler - Page: 85
Robertss Warbler - Page: 85
Pallid Honeyguide - Page: 86
Scaly-throated Honeyguide - Page: 86
Brown Scrub-Robin - Page: 86
Sombre Greenbul - Page: 87
Stripe-cheeked Greenbul - Page: 87
Terrestrial Brownbul - Page: 87
Rudds Apalis - Page: 88
Monotonous Lark - Page: 90
Sabota Lark - Page: 90
Fawn-coloured Lark - Page: 90
Rufous-naped Lark - Page: 91
Short-clawed Lark - Page: 91
Dusky Lark - Page: 92
Flappet Lark - Page: 92
Chestnut-backed Sparrowlark - Page: 92
Cape Clapper Lark - Page: 93
Cape Long-billed Lark - Page: 94
Large-billed Lark - Page: 94
Pink-billed Lark - Page: 95
Rudds Lark - Page: 95
Melodious Lark - Page: 95
Grey Wagtail - Page: 96
Bothas Lark - Page: 96
Black-eared Sparrowlark - Page: 97
Grey-backed Sparrowlark - Page: 97
Spike-heeled Lark - Page: 97
Grays Lark - Page: 98
Starks Lark - Page: 98
Sclaters Lark - Page: 98
Red Lark - Page: 99
Dune Lark - Page: 100
Karoo Lark - Page: 100
Barlows Lark - Page: 100
Tree Pipit - Page: 103
Bushveld Pipit - Page: 103
Striped Pipit - Page: 103
Wood Pipit - Page: 104
African Pipit - Page: 104
Plain-backed Pipit - Page: 105
Buffy Pipit - Page: 105
Mountain Pipit - Page: 106
Yellow-breasted Pipit - Page: 106
Short-tailed Pipit - Page: 107
Long-billed Pipit - Page: 107
African Rock Pipit - Page: 108
Cape Weaver - Page: 109
Spectacled Weaver - Page: 109
Southern Masked-Weaver - Page: 109
Lesser Masked-Weaver - Page: 111
Village Weaver - Page: 111
Red-headed Weaver - Page: 111
Red-billed Quelea - Page: 112
Broad-tailed Paradise-Whydah - Page: 113
Long-tailed Paradise-Whydah - Page: 113
Village Indigobird - Page: 114
Purple Indigobird - Page: 114
Dusky Indigobird - Page: 114
Twinspot Indigobird - Page: 115
Southern Grey-headed Sparrow - Page: 115
White-browed Sparrow-Weaver - Page: 115
Black-throated Canary - Page: 116
Cape Sparrow - Page: 116
Yellow-throated Petronia - Page: 116
Streaky-headed Seedeater - Page: 117
Shaft-tailed Whydah - Page: 117
Great Sparrow - Page: 118
Sociable Weaver - Page: 118
Scaly-feathered Finch - Page: 118
Chestnut Weaver - Page: 119
Thick-billed Weaver - Page: 120
Yellow Weaver - Page: 120
Golden Weaver - Page: 120
Pin-tailed Whydah - Page: 121
Southern Brown-throated Weaver - Page: 121
Southern Red Bishop - Page: 121
Yellow-crowned Bishop - Page: 122
Long-tailed Widowbird - Page: 122
Red-collared Widowbird - Page: 123
Yellow Bishop - Page: 123
White-winged Widowbird - Page: 123
Red-headed Quelea - Page: 124
Fan-tailed Widowbird - Page: 124
Black-winged Bishop - Page: 125
Cuckoo Finch - Page: 125
Yellow-mantled Widowbird - Page: 125
Cape Siskin - Page: 126
Protea Seedeater - Page: 126
White-throated Canary - Page: 127
Drakensberg Siskin - Page: 127
Lark-like Bunting - Page: 127
House Sparrow - Page: 128

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