''The Book of Indian Birds'' by Salim Ali is a landmark book on

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

ornithology Ornithology is a branch of zoology that concerns the "methodological study and consequent knowledge of birds with all that relates to them." Several aspects of ornithology differ from related disciplines, due partly to the high visibility and th ...

, which helped spark popular interest in the birds of India. First published in 1941, it is currently in its 13th edition. Most of the older books on Indian birds were meant for identification using specimens in the hand and the only other field guide, Hugh Whistler's ''Popular Handbook Of Indian Birds'' was published in London, was getting out of date and not readily available in India. The book of Indian birds provided a popular bird-guide in a low-cost edition. The

J. Paul Getty Award for Conservation Leadership The J. Paul Getty Award for Conservation Leadership has been awarded annually since 2006 in recognition of outstanding leadership in global conservation. The award aims to acknowledge individuals making "pioneering and substantial" contributions to ...

, while awarding Salim Ali in 1976, said in its citation: :... your book, the Book of Indian Birds which in its way was the seminal natural history volume for everyone in India. The second edition of the book was published in 1942, subsequent editions being in 1944, 1945, 1961, 1964, 1968, 1972, 1977, 1979 (11th edition with reprints in 1984, 1986, 1988, 1990 and 1992), 1996 (12th edition) and 2002 (13th edition).

References

{{reflist

External links

Book of Indian Birds (1941 edition)
Archive.org copy Ornithological handbooks Memorials to Salim Ali