Book excerpt: Beginners and experienced birdwatchers turn to this guide to identify the birds they see in their backyards and on bushwalking or birdwatching expeditions. Designed to slip easily into a pocket, backpack or glove box. This is a new and updated version of the very popular Slater Field Guide to Australian Birds and includes 64 new or extensively revised colour plates, incorporating all the new birds observed in Australia, including Tasmania and islands and territories since 1986. Also included is a re-organisation of the guide into broad habitats - seabirds, shore birds, inland water birds and bush birds; updated common and scientific names, revised maps, and a new visual index to aid beginners in finding the most appropriate pages in the guide. A must for serious naturalists in Australia, be they beginners or experts.