Here is the distilled esence of the definitive account of the birds of north-west Europe - BWP, as it is generally known to thousands of users. The abridgement has been made by members of the original editorial team under the general supervision of Professor C.M. Perrins of Oxford, who has acted as Consultant Editor. Dr. D.W. Snow has condensed the original text with masterly skill, retaining all the essential information in a fraction of the space. The Concise BWP also includes much significant new material. Accounts of more than eighty species has been added and the descriptions of field characters have been revised throughout. The population and distribution sections have been rewritten to take into account new information that has become available since BWP was published. The distribution maps have also been revised and brought up to date. They are now printed in full colour for maximum clarity, and hill shading has neen added to indicate the relief. More than 230 magnificent new colour plates have been specially commissioned for this edition to illustrate newly added species or to replace earlier paintings used in BWP. Where the original paintings have been retained, they are now reproduced using the latest electronic scanning techniques. For greater convenience, all plates now appear in the text. Indexes in seven European languages are included in addition to the indexes of English and scientific names. The Concise BWP is an essential reference book for all who are interested in the birds of Europe, whether at the professional level or as amateurs.