A stunning collection of 200 bird species painted by the world-renowned wildlife painter.

"Robert Bateman's paintings and drawings... reveal a vision of the beautiful and stark possibilities of the natural world. They are compelling and haunting."
-- The Washington Post

At a time when bird species are disappearing rapidly, the poignant beauty of Robert Bateman's paintings is more urgent than ever. It reminds us why Bateman was compelled to study and paint his subjects and why we must work to secure their futures.

Bateman has sketched and painted bird life in every corner of the globe. His special relationship with some of the planet's most beautiful and fascinating creatures is captured here in an elegant volume that will appeal to bird lovers and art lovers alike.

The paintings are organized variously into 20 groups: At Home on Salt Spring Island; In the Pribilofs; Treeline and Tundra; Above Larch Valley; A Wenatchee Field Trip; Canyons and Deserts of Arizona; The Great Plains; Spring on the Great Lakes; Immigrants; Eastern Fields and Forests; On Inland Waters; The Atlantic Coast; In the Everglades; The Tropical Americas; The Galápagos; Old Worlds; At the Taj Mahal; A Visit to Bharatpur; The African Savannah and To the Antarctic.

Bateman's magnificent works celebrate the breathtaking range of bird life on Earth -- from the spectacular plumage of the fiery rainforest quetzel to the threatening glare of the golden eagle. And through his notes, informative diary entries and detailed sketches and studies, he shares with the reader a wealth of observations about the birds' behavior and his keen appreciation of their beauty. As the great Roger Tory Peterson said, "If I could paint like another wildlife artist, it would be Robert Bateman."

Robert Bateman began his lifelong education as an artist, naturalist and birder in the tree-filled ravine behind his boyhood home in Toronto. There he would study and sketch the birds he saw, adding them to the life list he keeps to this day. Robert has an enormous following, and his original artwork and limited edition prints are sought by collectors the world over. In 2003, the Robert Bateman Centre museum opened in Victoria, B.C. Today he lives with his wife, Birgit, and his family on one of the Gulf Islands off Canada's western coast.