Ian Sinclair is renowned for his extensive field experience and expertise in identifying birds. He has authored and co-authored more than 15 highly successful bird books, among them Field Guide to Birds of Southern Africa (Struik, 1984), Sasol Birds of Southern Africa (Struik, 3rd edition 2002) and Birds of Africa south of the Sahara (Struik, 2003). He is recognised as one of Africa's most experienced birders, and one of its foremost bird authors. Dr Peter Ryan is a senior lecturer at the Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology at the University of Cape Town and a partner of 'Birding Africa'. A long-standing member of the SA Rarities Committee, his research interests include the evolutionary ecology of birds and island conservation. He is the author of Practical Birding (Struik, 2001)