fjeldsaaj

Basics: 1990, hardcover, 880 pages, 64 color plates, 1100 species, range maps

“Magnificent” would be a good word to start the review for this book. Three things stand out about this book. One, is the apparent experience and knowledge of the authors. Two, is the documentation of the salient information written down and shared with the birder. Three, are the excellent color plates showing over 2000 different plumages.

The first 80% of the book is dedicated to the species accounts. Each bird receives 1/3 to 2/3 of a page. Nearly half of the text describes the bird and its various plumages. Other solid information is given for habits, voice, breeding, habitat, and range. A great deal of attention is also given to the subspecies.

As for the plates, they are very good. The artist has a unique style or flair that is different but appreciated. The illustrations might not be called small, but they are a little below the average size found in a field guide – if this book even is a field guide. With the smaller sizes, some plates are slightly crammed with 40+ plumages. However, I prefer the wealth of crammed illustrations over the alternative of having fewer useful images just to have a cleaner look. In addition to the plates, hundreds of b&w drawings are distributed throughout the book.

The range maps are typically tailored to cover the bird’s region, as opposed to using a standard all-South America map. Despite the tailored maps, the ranges don’t always stand out with their b&w format. Restricted, small ranges sometimes demand your attention.

Is this a field guide? No, for four reasons. First, this is a thick and heavy book. You can take it, but a satchel will be needed for toting it around. Second, the binding on this book is weak. This is noticeable upon first picking up the book. The book’s thickness and weight only compound its fragility. A couple of my friends made the mistake of taking their books to South America. One trip was enough take its toll on the book. Third, it is too expensive to expose to field dangers. Four, the book loses its effectiveness when you drop down out of the Andes and into other habitats.

Use this masterpiece of a book at home as an excellent shelf reference and take a country-specific guide with you to South America instead. There are several good ones to use.

Other Related Books:
1) The Birds of Machu Picchu and the Cusco Region by Walker/Fjeldsa
2) Birds of Chile by Jaramillo/Burke/Beadle
3) Las Aves de Chile by Martinez/Gonzalez
4) Birds of Chile and Adjacent Regions of Argentina, Bolivia and Peru -- Volumes I & II by Johnson et.al.
5) Birds of Peru by Schulenberg et.al.
6) A Field Guide to the Birds of Peru by Clements/Shany
7) Aves de las Nubes by Plenge
8) Birds of Argentina and Uruguay by Narosky/Yzurieta
9) Birds of Ecuador by Ridgely/Greenfield
10) Guide to the Birds of Colombia by Hilty/Brown… (plus d'informations)