In addition to these subtle changes, there are some more prominent amendments: the harriers, for example, are substantially revised and now shown in a total of 61 (mostly new) images, compared to the 48 in the 2nd edition. Other groups receiving major overhauls include divers, owls, swifts and tits. New vignettes showing typical habitat or field impressions and thumbnail illustrations are added for many species. Finally, the maps have been updated based on any newly published atlases.

The cover of the first edition, in all formats, depicts a barn owl. On the second edition, this was replaced by an Arctic tern. Original Swedish version of the third edition features a bluethroat, while the English version shows a barn swallow.The Collins Bird Guide needs little introduction. With more than 1 million copies sold and the book translated into 23 languages, its success as a field guide to the birds of Europe is in no doubt. Quite simply, there is no better guide for identifying birds in the region. But not only is it available as a book, it has also been made into an app by developers at NatureGuides.

The app can be set to five languages – English, French, German, Norwegian and Swedish – and contains bird names in 18 languages, including Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, and Russian. Known IssuesIts authors are Lars Svensson, Killian Mullarney, Dan Zetterström and Peter J. Grant, and it is illustrated by Killian Mullarney and Dan Zetterström (with two plates of North American passerines contributed by Larry McQueen in the first edition). [1] It has been described as "undoubtedly the finest field guide that has ever been produced", and "the last great bird book of the 20th century". [2] Alternatively, at the home screen, this feature sits as its own function where the user is able compare any species via up to six criteria including range, season and habitat, as well as phenotypical attributes such as plumage, size, shape and so on. Cleverly, the app uses GPS to determine your position and therefore the relevant region. This will no doubt be an extremely useful feature for birders holidaying in locations where they may not necessarily be familiar with identification possibilities. Browse through the beautiful illustrations by Killian Mullarney and Dan Zetterström, and read the detailed text by Lars Svensson. The new illustrations are, as you'd expect given the calibre of the authors, superb. From the perspective of the British birder, updates to some of the terns, swifts, Old World flycatchers and finches are among the most relevant. Among my favourites were the updated harriers and redstarts, while the distinguishing of Hornemann's Arctic Redpoll is also welcome.

often called ‘small thrushes’), tits and a few finches and buntings are some of these. More than 50 plates are either new or have been repainted, completely or partly. Apart from this, a few new vignettes have been added. The section with vagrants has been expanded to accommodate more images and longer texts for several species. The entire text and all maps have of course also been revised.

The ultimate reference book for bird enthusiasts – now in its second edition.

Collins Bird Guide, second edition". HarperCollins. Archived from the original on 27 September 2011 . Retrieved 23 November 2009.