Field guide on birds now available on Kindle

For the first time, a comprehensive field guide on birds that are usually seen in Maharashtra is now available on Kindle in Marathi – thus giving a major boost to ornithology.

After decades of field work, research and compilation, the book has been penned by Dr Raju Kasambe, the Assistant Director, Education, Conservation Education Centre, Bombay Natural History Society.

"The purpose of the book is to spread the joy of bird watching and knowledge about the common birds among amateur bird watchers and nature lovers in India,” he said.

The book – “Maharashtratil Pakshi: Field Guide’ is available on Amazon and can be purchased for Rs 200.

A veteran naturalist and conversationalist, Dr Kasambe said 360 birds have been included in the Kindle edition.

Last year, Dr Kasambe, brought out an e-book '100 Common Birds in India' – available in English and many other languages - which describes the species of birds with their identification, calls, residential status, habitat, distribution along with updated maps, some habits, diet of most species, bird migration studies, and interesting tidbits about many species, and available free of cost.

According to him, the new Marathi book on Kindle is a step ahead. “It has details of 350 birds….it has Marathi names, English names, scientific names, calls, distribution and so on,” he said, adding that a Kindle edition would be very handy for field trips.

A veteran, Dr Kasambe has spotted over 400 bird species in Maharashtra and 600 in India.