Craig Robson

Craig Robson lives in Norwich, England. A professional ornithologist, author and artist, specializing in Asian birds, Craig was born in the Midlands but moved to Shetland in 1978 during the early years of the oil boom to earn enough to finance extended travels overseas and to enjoy the many rare birds that the islands attract.

He has spent many years in the field in Asia (from the Himalayas, China and Japan southwards to Sri Lanka, mainland Southeast Asia and Indonesia), often visiting remote areas that have been only rarely explored in the past and has experience of around 2300 species in that continent! He has carried out pioneering surveys of Western Tragopans in Pakistan, Gurney’s Pittas in Thailand and rare pheasants and other forest birds in Vietnam, and has spent some time working on the distribution of Asia’s restricted range birds for BirdLife International’s Biodiversity Project.

His remarkable knowledge of Asian birds culminated in the publication of the definitive A Field Guide to the Birds of South-East Asia (2000) and A Field Guide to the Birds of Thailand (2002). More recently Craig has co-published texts on the parrotbills and babblers for Handbook of the Birds of the World.

As well as Asia, Craig has also birded extensively in Madagascar, Australasia and North America (including Alaska, Colorado, Cuba and many other areas).