- Bird Families of the World is a multivolume series of handbooks, intended to serve the interests of both the professional scientist and the ever-growing body of amateur ornithologists. Each volume provides a comprehensive and accurate synthesis of our knowledge of one bird family or several related families

- Six general chapters on the biology, feeding ecology, breeding behaviour, evolutionary relationships, and conservation of the birds in the family

- 8 specially commissioned colour plates by David Thelwell, showing adults of all species and many juveniles, immatures and subspecies

- 65 black-and-white drawings illustrating special features and behaviour

- Descriptions of each species individually, including appearance, weights, and measurements; field characters; voice; habitat and food; breeding behaviour; life cycle; and range and status (with distribution map). This provides the most comprehensive and up-to-date species-level information available

- Full bibliography and index

Herons and their close relatives, the egrets and bitterns, comprise sixty species in total and are found all over the world except in polar regions, and are a strikingly beautiful part of the wetlands they inhabit. They are particularly abundant and popular in South West USA, especially Florida. Herons are a diverse group, easily recognised by their long legs, necks and bills. Many species are notable for their sociality as they feed, roost, and nest together in single or mixed species assemblages. The authors have extensive experience of research and observation of these birds and this book provides an up to date comprehensive review of the herons of the world. Covering their biology, distribution, description, systematics, breeding, feeding, and conservation, James Hancock and James Kushlan have distilled their lifetimes' research on the heron into one volume. This volume is complemented by beautiful colour paintings especially painted for the book, colour photographs, and distribution maps.