Flying across border and going for trips seem far from many of us in the past two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. By looking up the sky to imagine being a bird, we can fly anywhere without a passport!

This naturalist’s guide introduces 280 representative bird species of Southeast China covering Hunan, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong, Hong Kong, Hainan, and including Shanghai. Southeast China lies within the East Asian-Australasian Flyway where many migratory birds pass by or visit annually. To spot them and to record their behaviours need consistent and tremendous efforts of the bird watchers across the birding sites of the region. In this book, high-quality photographs of birds in their wild state are generously contributed by a group of keen bird watchers, including some amateur but professional photographers.

The book comprises the essence of knowledge of the three authors, each of them has spent over 20 years in the study and research on bird ecology and biodiversity. To the end of the book, there is a clear checklist illustrating the regional status of birds (as resident, introduced, summer/winter visitor, passage migrant, non-breeding visitor, or vagrant), and their global conservation status (such as endangered, vulnerable, threatened, or least concern in the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List). Further information on bird watching websites, databases and online groups relevant to China are introduced which provide practical information for bird watchers to source information and for trip planning. Nature-lovers would find this book not only enjoyable but also very informative.