The species accounts are very detailed, doubtlessly benefitting from Peter's intimate and long-term knowledge of Botswana's birds. The range maps give one an immediate indication of where the bird occurs and the breeding bars give one an idea of when to expect the bird and when it breeds. These will prove handy when identifying e.g. migratory birds. The excellent illustrations show the birds in their local race and where sexes and ages differ, these are also illustrated. Perhaps one shortcoming of the illustrations is, that diagnostic features e.g. the yellow eye-ring of the Red-billed Spurfowl, are not pointed out as is the custom in many other field guides. The author uses the IOC bird names, which is the accepted norm but perhaps the addition of alternate names in the species accounts will help dispel confusion to users that are not up to date with the current IOC names. During a brief field test I found the alphabetical quick index inside the front cover invaluable because it allows one to quickly find the page of the species in question. This book is definitely an excellent addition to the ornithological literature of southern Africa.