Contents: Preface. Current sequence of orders and families. Changes in territorial names. Introduction. Illustration of a bird's plumage and parts. Terms used in description of a bird's plumage and parts. Types of bills. Types of feet. How to recognise birds in the field: 1. Birds with prominent tail. 2. Birds with prominent bills. 3. Birds with prominent crest. 4. Long-legged birds. 5. Bright coloured birds. 6. Sober coloured birds. I. Description of 64 plates. II. Description of 538 birds. III. Some nests and nesting behaviour. IV. Flight. V. Bird migration. VI. The usefulness of birds. VII. Bird watching. Index of common names. Index of scientific names.

From the preface: "This much-awaited revised edition includes the extensive changes in the scientific and common bird names that have taken place since the last revision in 1996.

"Following the publication, in 2001, of the list of standardized common and scientific names of the birds of the Indian subcontinent in the Buceros 6 (1), the common and scientific names have been modified based on this list. It is expected that this will provide uniformity in the names used throughout the subcontinent and outside, and help birdwatchers to communicate better while exchanging their observations.

"The alternate common names given in the earlier edition have been removed. The index of common names of species, giving plate and serial numbers, has been replaced with separate indexes of scientific and common names according to page numbers. Minor errors that were overlooked in the earlier edition have also been rectified.

"While every effort has been made to update all the names, it is possible that some changes may have been left out or controversial names remain to be sorted out. These will be incorporated in the next revision."