Review Of "Birds Of Peru" By T. S. Schulenberg, D. F. Stotz, D. F. Lane, J. P. O'Neill, And T. A. Parker III

Document Type

Book Review

Publication Date

3-1-2008

Published In

Choice

Abstract

Any North American birder will be green with envy paging through this volume. The first comprehensive field guide to the birds of Peru, it describes nearly 1,800 species--compared to the 600 or so in the continental US. The modern field guide format presents full color illustrations (including many sex and age variants) opposite brief species accounts and range maps (40 pages of hummingbirds alone!). The volume offers a brief introduction to the ecology of Peru, difficult identifications, and conservation. Although it is superbly produced, even after 46 years of preparation it is still a work in progress, with many species known from only one or a few sightings. Unfortunately, very few readers will ever have a chance to use this book. As it is a true field guide rather than a reference resource, it will be useful only in scholarly libraries with a focus on South American birds, or in general libraries with a readership that might travel to Peru. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates and above; general readers.

Comments

This work is freely available courtesy of Choice Reviews. The review has been reproduced in full in the abstract field.

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