Few groups of birds are more appropriately named than wildfowl, for they inhabit our wildest coasts and few remaining wilderness areas. Yet most of the 38 species described in detail in this book are also widely familiar, as they have been closely involved in our art, literature and sport for many centuries. From the ubiquitous mallard, quacking tamely on the village pond, to the skeins of wild geese heading south in the autumn, they have inspired painters, wildfowlers and birdwatchers alike. Some have adapted well to 20th-century life, but others have declined greatly as marshes have been drained and disturbance has increased. This book documents their story. The account of each species begins with a close look at the bird's history and conservation, to which are added current details of distribution and population, and sections on habitat, identification, behaviour, breeding, food and migration. In addition to the main accounts of the species which breed regularly in north-west Europe, there are notes on the vagrants - those irregularly-occurring rarities which always set the birdwatchers' grapevine buzzing. There is also an introductory chapter which discusses the fascinating relationship between wildfowl and man. The text is complemented by specially-commissioned paintings by Alastair Proud of all the birds described, together with photographs and silhouettes. The author's other books include "Sporting Birds of the British Isles" and "Birds of Prey of the British Isles".