Satish Pande

Basics: 2003, 1st edition, hardcover, 378 pages, 1,700 color photographs, 580 species, no range maps

The format of this book is a photo identification guide and natural history reference. It is not really a field guide. I would view it as a decent supplement to keep at home for additional reference.

This book covers the Western Ghats, a mountain range running along the southern 75% of the western coast of India. The authors certainly tried to fit in as much as they could into this book; perhaps too much. At least 3-7 photos are crammed onto every page along with text in nearly all the white spaces. This creates a cluttered look, forcing the reader to double-check which bird is being featured on the page. Quite often, one bird is featured along with several photos of other related species thrown in. Fortunately, most of the photos have a small sub-caption stating the species. There are quite a few photos of nests, eggs, and young, which is not typical of most field guides.

I'll give credit to the authors for securing so many good color photos, which is the primary attraction of the book. Most birds have multiple photos. Just make sure you take note of which ones belong to the page's featured bird. The text is a little generic, offering very brief notes on nesting, eggs, distribution, calls, ecological notes, and parental care. More information goes into the natural history than into a description of the bird, reinforcing this book is not an identification guide. The author also inserts many pieces of related bird trivia, such as postage stamps, currency, and plucked feathers of the featured bird.

If you want some additional, less common information on Indian birds, this is a good book; and, the photos are enjoyable. If you want to focus on identifying the birds and separating similar species, you'll definitely need to use a traditional field guide.

My favorite surprise from this book is a good photo of Jerdon's Courser tucked in the back on page 354. This bird was thought to be extinct for nearly eighty years until rediscovered in 1986. Adding to the book's eclectic nature, it comes with a sewn-in bookmark on a silk ribbon -- with a little advertisement on one side.

Other Related Books:
1) Birds of Northern India by Grimmett/Inskipp
2) Birds of Southern India by Grimmett/Inskipp
3) Birds of South Asia - Volumes 1 & 2 by Rassmussen
4) A Guide to the Birds of India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives by Grimmett/Inskipp
5) Birds of India by Grimmett/Inskipp
6) Birds of the Indian Subcontinent by Grewal
7) A Field Guide to Birds of the Indian Subcontinent by Kazmierczak
8) Handbook of the Birds of India and Pakistan: Volume 1-10 by Ali/Ripley
9) Photographic Guide to the Birds of India by Grewal… (plus d'informations)