When first published in 1972, this volume contained ten colour plates by seven artists, which illustrated 85 forms. All these have been replaced in the second edition by seven plates drawn by John Henry Dick: five of these are in colour and two in monochrome, and together they illustrate 120 forms. The new plates originally appeared in A Pictorial Guide to the Birds of the Indian Subcontinent (1983) and the plates in future editions of the various volumes of the Handbook will also be taken from this source. The text of this edition has also been revised where necessary, particularly as regards distribution. In addition, five new subspecies appear while two others have been amalgamated.
- ISBN10 0195612450
- ISBN13 9780195612455
- Publish Date June 1984 (first published April 1969)
- Publish Status Out of Print
- Out of Print 15 January 1993
- Publish Country IN
- Imprint OUP India
- Edition Compact ed
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 816
- Language English