About Newman’s Birds
Nick Newman
Nick Newman is a passionate and accomplished birder whose interest in birds and their behaviour was inspired by his father’s work in the field. At the helm of the Newman family business, Nick is committed to growing the community of birders via Kenneth Newman’s iconic stable of well-loved birding reference tools.
Nick has been the driving force behind the next generation of Newman’s Birds, and has launched the fully revised Newmans Birds of Southern Africa app. This has been closely followed by the updated and much improved Newman’s Birds by Colour, launched in June 2024. Nick continues to build on the reputation and community that Ken created during his career.
Kenneth Newman (1924-2006)
Ken Newman was a renowned ornithologist, painter and artist who was instrumental in popularising and contributing to the awareness of birding in the greater southern African region. His life-long work and dedication to serving the birding community of southern Africa spanned numerous books, ranging from titles for novice birders to seasoned enthusiasts. His books have sold well over a million copies worldwide and even now, Newman’s Birds is a household name. Ken received many accolades for his dedication to birding. He was a past president of the South African Ornithologist Society (now BirdlifeSA), and he was the recipient of the Zoological Society’s prestigious Stevenson-Hamilton’s Award in 1988 and the Gill Memorial Award in Ornithology in 1992.
Newman’s Birds
Newman’s Birds was established in 1967 by the late Kenneth Newman. Inspired by his visits of the natural wonders in Africa, and in particular after returning from a trip to the Kruger National Park, Ken realised the need for an accessible guide to birds within the region. Drawing on his skills as an ornithologist, painter and author, he endeavoured to publish a guide that would deliver easily consumable content that communities could connect to. His step-by-step approach to bird identification resulted in a series of books following a clear, intuitive formula. The very first publication ‘Garden birds of South Africa’, was quickly followed by more than 20 other titles such as ‘Roadside birds of South Africa’ and ‘Birds By Colour’. His most recognisable book, the regional giant ‘Newman’s Birds of Southern Africa’ was yet another attempt to answer the demand from the birding community for quick, attainable referencing and easily consumed diagnostic bird identification tools.
Since its inception, Newman’s has continued to deliver relevant and updated material to the birding community. In 2010, Vanessa Newman, Ken’s daughter, continued his legacy. With the scientific support of Fansie Peacock, Newman’s published the next edition in the Newman’s Birding stable – a revision of the commemorative edition of ‘Newman’s Birds of Southern Africa’.
In 2012, the “Newman’s Bird App” was the first regional bird app to ring in the onset of the digital age, and at the beginning of 2024 we saw a complete update and re-launch of the app – driven by Nicholas Newman.
Newman’s Birds by Colour has also seen a complete revision, launched in May 2024. It has been the brain child of Nicholas Newman, with many new updates and changes to make birding accessible and easy for everyone.
Passionate about community-driven birding
A new chapter in birding is upon us. Fingertip access to vast amounts of information, and the ability of amateur photographers to capture world class images are transforming traditional bird identification. Our digital world make interaction across geographic and social boundaries fast and seamless, and is leading to the creation of new communities creating their own content.
Community birders are also playing an increasingly important part in nature conservation and science, by logging species distribution, reporting regional rarities, monitoring nest sites and threatened species and reporting injured birds. This growing phenomenon connects the citizen scientist, the local guide, the resident twitcher, amateur photographer, nature lover and you into a new community of experts. And as it has always been, Newman’s is there to support you.
