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
Grey Penduline-Tit - Page: 44
Neddicky - Page: 44
Brown-backed Honeybird - Page: 45
Green-backed Honeybird - Page: 45
Grey Tit-Flycatcher - Page: 45
Stierling s Wren-Warbler - Page: 46
Lesser Honeyguide - Page: 46
Greater Honeyguide - Page: 46
Red-faced Crombec - Page: 47
Green-capped Eremomela - Page: 47
Southern Hyliota - Page: 47
Short-winged Cisticola - Page: 48
Cape Penduline-Tit - Page: 49
Icterine Warbler - Page: 49
Burnt-necked Eremomela - Page: 49
African Dusky Flycatcher - Page: 50
Spotted Flycatcher - Page: 50
Pale Flycatcher - Page: 51
Ashy Flycatcher - Page: 51
Yellow-bellied Eremomela - Page: 52
Lazy Cisticola - Page: 52
Long-billed Crombec - Page: 52
Red-winged Warbler - Page: 53
Marico Flycatcher - Page: 53
Bar-throated Apalis - Page: 54
Green-backed Camaroptera - Page: 55
Grey-backed Camaroptera - Page: 55
Garden Warbler - Page: 55
River Warbler - Page: 56
Marsh Warbler - Page: 56
Olive-tree Warbler - Page: 58
Common Whitethroat - Page: 58
Thrush Nightingale - Page: 58
Kalahari Scrub-Robin - Page: 59
Yellow-breasted Apalis - Page: 59
Singing Cisticola - Page: 60
Tawny-flanked Prinia - Page: 60
Tinkling Cisticola - Page: 60
Rattling Cisticola - Page: 61
Moustached Grass-Warbler - Page: 61
Drakensberg Prinia - Page: 62
Mountain Wheatear - Page: 62
Black-chested 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
Lesser Swamp-Warbler - Page: 70
Great Reed-Warbler - Page: 70
Sedge Warbler - Page: 71
Red-faced Cisticola - Page: 72
Little Rush-Warbler - Page: 72
Broad-tailed Warbler - Page: 73
Dark-capped Yellow 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
Layard s Tit-Babbler - Page: 76
Victorin s 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
Tractrac Chat - Page: 80
Karoo Chat - Page: 80
Karoo Eremomela - Page: 81
Cinnamon-breasted Warbler - Page: 81
Namaqua Warbler - Page: 81
Rockrunner - Page: 82
Rufous-eared Warbler - Page: 82
Black-headed Apalis - Page: 83
Chirinda Apalis - Page: 83
Dark-backed Weaver - Page: 84
Knysna Warbler - Page: 84
Tiny Greenbul - Page: 84
Roberts s Warbler - Page: 85
Barratt s Warbler - Page: 85
Yellow-throated Woodland-Warbler - Page: 85
Pallid Honeyguide - Page: 86
Brown Scrub-Robin - Page: 86
Scaly-throated Honeyguide - Page: 86
Sombre Greenbul - Page: 87
Terrestrial Brownbul - Page: 87
Stripe-cheeked Greenbul - Page: 87
Rudd s Apalis - Page: 88
Fawn-coloured Lark - Page: 90
Sabota Lark - Page: 90
Monotonous Lark - Page: 90
Short-clawed Lark - Page: 91
Rufous-naped Lark - Page: 91
Chestnut-backed Sparrowlark - Page: 92
Dusky Lark - Page: 92
Flappet Lark - Page: 92
Cape Clapper Lark - Page: 93
Large-billed Lark - Page: 94
Cape Long-billed Lark - Page: 94
Pink-billed Lark - Page: 95
Rudd s Lark - Page: 95
Melodious Lark - Page: 95
Grey Wagtail - Page: 96
Botha s Lark - Page: 96
Grey-backed Sparrowlark - Page: 97
Spike-heeled Lark - Page: 97
Black-eared Sparrowlark - Page: 97
Stark s Lark - Page: 98
Gray s Lark - Page: 98
Sclater s Lark - Page: 98
Red Lark - Page: 99
Barlow s Lark - Page: 100
Karoo Lark - Page: 100
Dune Lark - Page: 100
Bushveld Pipit - Page: 103
Tree 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
Long-billed Pipit - Page: 107
Short-tailed Pipit - Page: 107
African Rock Pipit - Page: 108
Cape Weaver - Page: 109
Southern Masked-Weaver - Page: 109
Spectacled Weaver - Page: 109
Village Weaver - Page: 111
Lesser Masked-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
Dusky Indigobird - Page: 114
Purple Indigobird - Page: 114
Village 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
Shaft-tailed Whydah - Page: 117
Streaky-headed Seedeater - Page: 117
Great Sparrow - Page: 118
Scaly-feathered Finch - Page: 118
Sociable Weaver - Page: 118
Chestnut Weaver - Page: 119
Golden Weaver - Page: 120
Thick-billed Weaver - Page: 120
Yellow Weaver - Page: 120
Southern Red Bishop - Page: 121
Pin-tailed Whydah - Page: 121
Southern Brown-throated Weaver - Page: 121
Long-tailed Widowbird - Page: 122
Yellow-crowned Bishop - Page: 122
Red-collared Widowbird - Page: 123
White-winged Widowbird - Page: 123
Yellow Bishop - Page: 123
Fan-tailed Widowbird - Page: 124
Red-headed Quelea - Page: 124
Yellow-mantled Widowbird - Page: 125
Black-winged Bishop - Page: 125
Cuckoo Finch - Page: 125
Cape Siskin - Page: 126
Protea Seedeater - Page: 126
Lark-like Bunting - Page: 127
White-throated Canary - Page: 127
Drakensberg Siskin - Page: 127
House Sparrow - Page: 128

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