This stunning book captures the grace and beauty of the world's birds. In more than 500 pages, ornithologist Les Beletsky has gathered over 1,600 original paintings that reveal the form, posture, and plumage of every single bird family found in the world, featuring illustrations of more than 1,300 avian species that are characteristic of the families. Detailed paintings are by eleven of the world's leading bird artists, with many being published here for the first time. Beletsky's detailed, readable, descriptions are paired with these vivid images to show the diversity of the world's approximately 200 bird families. Garden bird-watchers, avid twitchers, and professional ornithologists alike will find in these pages everything from the everyday to the exotic, from diminutive hummingbirds to massive ostriches, from Antarctic penguins to tropical parrots. Comprehensive, authoritative, and beautifully illustrated, 'Birds of the World' will amaze and inspire everyone with an interest in this remarkable part of the world's fauna.