Author Description

Approximately 40 common and native New Zealand birds feature 'life size' in this book, pictured against a habitat background. Readers can compare the birds; clear-cut from individual photographs and grouped five or six together on the page, enlarged or reduced to represent their actual size. The full-colour spread of the birds is followed by a second spread that keys the birds to descriptive texts. This is a bright, colourful addition to the bookshelf of every New Zealand child and a useful reference for all those wishing to identify New Zealand birds. The book offers a unique perspective on the native birds of the bush, countryside, coast and wetland, as it is possible to gain an instant visual impression of their size. In the case of the albatross, only the bird's head can be included but this gives a dramatic impression of the huge scale of the bird. Rod Morris is a renowned New Zealand natural history photographer, based at the Natural History Unit in Dunedin.