Hoopoe – A blog by nhbs

Hot off the press from Collins are two great identification guides – the new edition of the Collins Complete Guide to British Insects, and the immensely popular third edition of the Collins Butterfly Guide – now available in paperback!

The new edition of the Collins Complete Guide to British Insects is a photographic field guide to all the common and some unusual species of insects across Britain that the keen amateur naturalist is likely to spot. Over 1,500 species are illustrated with detailed photographs chosen for their help in identification. Featured insect groups include: butterflies and moths, mayflies, dragonflies, damselflies, grasshoppers, crickets, earwigs, lacewings, bugs, bees, wasps, ants, beetles and larvae, all with keys to ensure accurate identification.

Order your copy of British Insects today!

The immensely popular third edition of the Collins Butterfly Guide is now available in paperback.  This comprehensive guide to the butterflies of Britain, Europe and North Africa describes and illustrates all 440 species, depicting both males and females and – where there is significant variation – subspecies.  Distribution maps accompany every widespread species, and the text covers all taxonomic nomenclature, distributions, flight periods, variations, habitats, behaviour, life cycles and conservation.

Collins Butterfly Guide is on special offer until 30 June 2009 – order your copy today!

Check out our new range of homes for bugs and bees in your garden, including the Bee Hut, the Bumblebee Box and the Bug Mansion.

An Atlas of Wader Populations in Africa and Western Eurasia has just arrived at NHBS.

This milestone publication from Wetlands International  is a compilation of current knowledge of the numbers, distribution and movements of one of the most remarkable groups of birds in the region covered by the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement (AEWA). Long-term waterbird count data have been combined with an extensive literature review, especially published results of bird ringing and national bird atlases, to produce maps showing the population boundaries that are used as a basis of the conservation of these species.

The Wader Atlas will be a key resource for anyone involved in the conservation or study of wetlands.

We are offering a introductory special offer for the Wader Atlas – order today and save £20!
(This special offer expires 8 May 2009.)

Browse other Wetlands International titles

Browse our full range of books on Seabirds, Shorebirds and Wildfowl

There are only 2 days left to take advantage of the great savings – up to 60% off – on more than 2600 wildlife, natural history and science titles in our annual Backlist Bargains sale.

Don’t miss this opportunity for great savings – the Backlist Bargains sale must end 31 March 2009!

Browse the Backlist Bargains catalogue

Key to the Identification of British Centipedes is now in stock – the first all-new identification guide to the centipedes of the United Kingdom in the last 40 years. Ideal for both the amateur and professional entomologist. For more centipede information, the new Synopsis of the British Fauna Volume 58: Centipedes provides further in-depth notes on Chilopoda taxonomy.

Browse other new and upcoming insect titles from NHBS

Browse Backlist Bargains – Invertebrates (Our annual sale must end 31 March 2009.)

Browse the full catalogue of Arthropods and Insects

Browse our full range of Wildlife Equipment including moth traps, nets, beating trays, insect pots and all the other field essentials.

Some key new books on estuaries and coastal wetlands have just arrived at NHBS, including Estuaries: Dynamics, Mixing, Sedimentation and Morphology – an in-depth summary of estuarine processes.

Other highlights include Ecology of Aquatic Systems with its broad survey of freshwater and marine systems and The Rivers of Europe, a comprehensive new primary source of information on the major European rivers – an indispensable resource for ecologists and conservation managers.

Check out our full range of Wildlife Equipment for sampling trays, nets, waterproof notebooks and all the other field essentials.

Browse more New Estuary and Coastal Ecosystem Titles

Browse Backlist Bargains – Habitats & Ecosystems (Our annual sale must end 31 March 2009.)

Browse Habitats, Ecosystems and Natural Spaces

Browse Oceanography

Some great new books about bee and ant societies have just swarmed into NHBS, including The Superorganism – Holldobler and Wilson’s in-depth analysis of insect societies, a follow-up to their acclaimed 1990 publication The Ants.

Don’t miss Six-Legged Soldiers, the compelling story of how insects have been used as weapons of war from prehistoric times right up to the Second World War and the near future.

Browse more new bee and ant colony titles

Check out our new range of homes for bugs and bees in your garden, including the Bee Hut, the Bumblebee Box and the Bug Mansion.

Browse Backlist Bargains – Invertebrates (Our annual sale ends 31 March 2009.)

Browse the full catalogue of Arthropods and Insects

In Built by Animals: The natural history of animal architecture Mike Hansell looks at the extraordinary structures that animals build – whether homes, traps, or courtship displays – and reveals the biology behind their behaviour. He shows how small-brained animals achieve complex feats in a small-brained way, by repeating many simple actions and using highly evolved self-secreted materials. On the other hand, the building feats or tool use of large-brained animals, such as humans or chimps, require significantly more complex and costly behaviour.

We look at wasp’s nests, leaf-cutting ants, caddisflies and amoebae, and even the extraordinary bower bird, who seduces his mate with a decorated pile of twigs, baubles, feathers and berries. Hansell explores how animal structures evolved over time, how insect societies emerge, how animals can alter their wider habitat, and even whether some animals have an aesthetic sense.

“Built by Animals is popular science at its best.” – Mark Cocker, The Guardian

“Hansell, an evolutionary biologist specialising in animal architecture, knows the answers and can tell a good story. Great stuff.” – Douglas Palmer, New Scientist

Built by Animals is now available in paperback – Order your copy today!

Browse Animal Biology

Browse Botany and Zoology

Check out the great savings on more than 2500 wildlife, natural history and science titles – at up to 60% off – in our annual Backlist Bargains sale. (Sale ends 31 March 2009.)

We’re pleased to announce the arrival of Plant Taxonomy: The Systematic Evaluation of Comparative Data by Todd Stuessy – Professor and Chair of the Department of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany at the University of Vienna, Austria. He also serves as the Secretary-General of the International Association for Plant Taxonomy.

The field of plant taxonomy has transformed rapidly over the past fifteen years, especially with regard to improvements in cladistic analysis and the use of new molecular data. The second edition of this popular resource reflects these far-reaching and dramatic changes by adding more than 3,000 new references and figures. Synthesizing current research and trends, this book now provides the most up-to-date overview of plant taxonomy in relation to monographic, biodiversity, and evolutionary studies, and continues to be an essential resource for students and scholars.

Order your copy of Plant Taxonomy today!

Browse more new botanical and taxonomy titles

Browse Botany and Zoology

Check out the great savings on botanical titles – up to 60% off – in our annual Backlist Bargains sale. (Sale ends 31 March 2009.)

There is one month left to take advantage of the great bargains in our Backlist Bargains sale!

We have added hundreds of great new titles from New Holland, Elsevier and Academic Press. Don’t miss the opportunity to purchase over 2600 titles at up to 60% off – the sale ends 31 March 2009.

Browse Backlist Bargains 2009 Bestsellers:
Zoology, Botany, Ornithology, Ecology/Conservation/Biodiversity, and Natural History/Travel

Browse the full Backlist Bargains catalogue