Book excerpt: This eagerly awaited new edition of The Larger Illustrated Guide to Birds of Southern Africa has been brought fully up to date with the third edition of the Field Guide to Birds of Southern Africa. The new edition incorporates the most recent information about bird taxonomy, as well as the latest bird names based on recommendations of the International Ornithological Committee. All distribution maps have been revised and feature dual shading to show relative abundance of a species in the region, as well as crosses to indicate the occurrence of vagrants. Numerous illustrations have been updated and revised where necessary. The essays on identifying problem species have also been revised and updated to bring the book in line with international birding developments.