Read reviews of the books we hold in the Chris Mead Library, written by our in-house experts. A selection of book reviews also features in our members’ magazine, BTO News.
All the Birds of the World
Featured review
Lynx have had a long-term project to produce an exhaustive guide to the birds of the world. It started out with the 17 volumes of the Handbook of the Birds of the World (1992-2013) which has family and species accounts for all birds. This was followed by the two volumes of the Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World (2014-16). They have now published the third and final stage of this avian odyssey with this current book.
Britain's Birds: an Identification Guide to the Birds of Great Britain and Ireland
Author:
Rob Hume, Robert Still, Andy Swash, Hugh Harrop & David Tipling
Publisher: Princeton University Press, Princeton (NJ) & Oxford
Published: 2020
This bird ID guide covers 631 species and includes birds recorded in Britain and Ireland. It is incredibly comprehensive and has a plentiful amount of glossy, detailed photographs which show all the plumages you are likely to see for both common and rare birds. The layout is practical and user-friendly which makes it easy to use and compare species.It has Species Accounts for each species described which includes English and scientific names, measurements, overview and description, conservation status, legal protection and Irish records, status and distribution map and habitat. This means that the level of description is extensive and there is great potential to learn more about an unfamiliar species from the guide alone. There are also overview pages of how to identify more general groups of birds such as wildfowl, corvids and buntings.This book, originally published in 2016, has been revised and updated for the second edition to make identification even easier. There are 12 new species recorded plus hundreds of new photos and fully revised species accounts to include the latest information in identification features, status, numbers, range and plumages seen during only part of the year.It’s a must have for beginners, experienced and professional birders alike.Book reviewed by Gillian Birtles
Author:
Herbert A. Raffaele, James W. Wiley, Orlando H. Garrido, Allan R. Keith & Janis Raffaele
Publisher: Helm, London
Published: 2020
Having observed last year when reviewing the excellent new Lynx Edicions Birds of the West Indies following a recent trip to the region, that all the available bird guides at that time appeared to be reprints of older books, it’s good to see one of those books has now been given a much needed update.For many years, the Helm Birds of the West Indies has been the go-to guide for the region, as a clear, straightforward, no nonsense book. This new slightly enlarged second edition takes the good basics of the prevision edition and improves on it while adding 60 more species (now covering >600 species) and importantly updating the conservation statuses and ranges of the region’s species. As you would expect in a new edition there is new artwork, both for the new species but also replacing much of the more old-fashioned artwork such as all the warbler and some of the flycatcher plates from the first edition with better images. The images are also better spread out with less species per plate on average, making the guide less cluttered and allowing the already well set out written species accounts to be expanded to make them more informative whilst remaining concise. Useful up to date information such as briefly covering the serious effects of the 2017 Hurricane Maria on Dominica’s two endemic parrot species is also included. More generally there have been some improvements in the layout and organisation of the book such as better colour coding of the book’s sections making it easier to navigate.One thing to note in this new edition is that the book often purposefully breaks taxonomic order to group similar-looking families together for comparisons such as having swallows and martins straight after swifts in an otherwise non-passerine grouping. If the book were entirely full of unfamiliar taxa, this would probably bother me less and it does have some possible advantages in the field, especially for beginners. However, because I am familiar with many of the families (if not the species themselves!) and know roughly where to expect them normally, I find it a bit jarring and would probably prefer something closer to current taxonomic order as used in the first edition. Oddly, I also noticed that wrens randomly appear on the same page as some of the cuckoos, which really doesn’t make sense taxonomically or for comparisons.In terms of other minor criticises to make, there are still a few more bits of old artwork it would have been nice to update and it would also be helpful to illustrate some more of the distinct island subspecies. Although hardly unusual in a modern bird guide, it might have been good for encouraging local birding interest, to include some well recognised local species names in the accounts, such as for the endemic endangered Imperial Parrot/Amazon, which in Dominica is largely referred to by its native name the Sisserou. Also the map of the region covered near the start of the first edition, which I found quite useful to refer to, has unfortunately gone.However, these minor quibbles aside, this book represents a significant and much needed update on the previous edition and a fine, straightforward, easy to use bird guide in its own right and a strong contribution to furthering ornithology in the region. Although the larger Lynx Edicions guide is arguably a superior bird book in terms of content and has a slightly wider scope, at only around half the price and a significantly smaller, more portable size, the Helm Birds of the West Indies is both a more practical field guide and excellent value for money. Ideally, if you’re unfamiliar with the region’s birds you’d probably want both on a trip, perhaps with the Helm in your day bag and the Lynx back at base, but if space is at a premium, as it usually is when travelling, I can strongly recommend having this excellent guide along on its own on a birding trip to the West Indies.Book reviewed by Hugh Hanmer
Author:
Roger Riddington(Editor) & Miranda Krestovnikoff(Foreword By)
Publisher: Poyser, London
Published: 2020
Readers of British Birds will most likely be familiar with much of the content of this new publication from Poyser, which brings together 13 papers published over the past 12 years, each describing the birds of the various far-flung remnants of Britain’s colonial history. Each of these papers now forms a chapter that gives a detailed introduction to the ornithological interest of the United Kingdom Overseas Territories (UKOTs). The addition of the paper on the British Virgin Islands, which has not yet been published in British Birds, completes the set, along with a new introductory chapter explaining the importance of the UKOTs for global biodiversity. Many of the older papers include postscript updates on particularly pressing or long-running conservation issues, and some also provide new advice on travelling to and submitting records within the territories.This book is a whistle-stop tour of some truly spectacular parts of the world, whipping from the arid slopes of Ascension Island to the frigid shores of South Georgia, to the tropical islands of the Caribbean and the white sandy beaches of Henderson Island in the Pacific Ocean. For the carbon-conscious birder this is a great summary of the birdlife of some places that you may be unlikely to visit, though for me it certainly invoked itchy-feet! Most of the UKOTs are islands or archipelagos, and so species endemism is high, meaning that each chapter has something new to offer, including those for UKOTs that are relatively close to one another such as Anguilla and Montserrat. As each territory is quite discreet (with the obvious exception of the vast British Antarctic Territory), at no point does the book become overwhelming with statistics and figures, providing population estimates in local and regional contexts. Given the length of time between authoring of each paper, there is no set layout for each chapter, but broadly they cover: a description of the breeding birds with special focus on endemics; an account of the migratory and vagrant birds that occur; habitats, climate and vegetation through time; a history of bird recording up to present, and; a run-through of past, current and expected conservation issues.The UKOTs hold a wealth of biodiversity, but a recurring theme throughout the chapters is that despite the many thousands of miles of ocean that separate the them, the threats posed by invasive species, human development pressure and climate change are shared by them all. As pointed out in the introduction, the strange constitutional situation UKOTs find themselves in means that they have limited access to international or UK conservation funds. Much of the vital conservation work to protect fragile environments, safeguard unique island endemics and conserve globally threatened species is carried out by passionate local ornithologists and conservationists, and a particular highlight of this book is how it showcases local conservation success stories, such as the remarkable recovery of the Cahow (Pterodroma cahow) in Bermuda.The individual chapters of this book are a good primer for visiting birders to each of the UKOTs, and provide helpful tips on spotting local specialties, where to visit and sometimes who to speak to. Given the disparate nature of the territories that the UK currently has responsibility for, the real value of this book is as a compilation of the immense diversity of life and environments that the UK has responsibility for beyond the shores of Britain. I feel this is a book that should be on the shelves of UK conservation policymakers as a reminder that some of the species and habitats we need to prioritise for conservation and research may not necessarily be right on our doorstep.Book reviewed by Anthony Wetherhill
Acoustic Ecology of European Bats: Species Identification, Study of their Habitats and Foraging Behaviour
Author:
Michel Barataud (author), Yves Tupinier, Herman J.G.A. Limpens (contributors) & Anya Cockle-Betian (translator)
Publisher: BIOTOPE, Paris
Published: 2020
With developments in bat detectors, particularly passive detectors which are left outside to automatically trigger and record any bats that fly past, there is the potential to provide representative acoustic monitoring of bat species distribution and activity as a measure of relative abundance. Whilst software for semi-automating the analysis of sound files is available and can save considerable time in helping to assign recordings to species as a first analyses, acoustic identification using these approaches is not perfect for many species. For this reason, having a clear understanding of how bats calls vary and how far to push identification is essential. Acoustic Ecology of European Bats, which was first published in English in 2015, is the result of over 30 years of research by the author. My previous review of the first edition can be found here.In 2020, a second edition was produced, which I was keen to review again. As with the first edition, the introduction summarizes the basis of biological sonar and gives an overview of the technologies used to convert ultrasound into audible frequencies. The identification criteria for 34 European bat species (and covered all British bats) are given in detail, with an entire chapter devoted to the methodology of the acoustic study of their foraging habitats. Acoustic Ecology of European Bats focuses on the concept of acoustic ecology, illustrated with many examples. This concept explains how the acoustic behaviour of a bat sheds light on its flight environment, its activity, and diet, contributing in all cases to improving the reliability of species identification.For this edition, rather than including a DVD, a downloadable folder of sound files is available online here, which I have found extremely useful. It also includes figures in .xls format, comparing important call parameters for helping in the identification of all bat species. Acoustic Ecology of European Bats contains a wealth of information indispensable to amateur naturalists and professionals involved in the management of protected areas or in environmental impact studies.With the second edition of this book published five years after the first, this remains the most extensive reference to date on the acoustic identification of European bats. For readers who already have the first edition of this book, changes from the first to second edition are small. The main change being an increase in the total number of sound recordings underlying the analyses in the book from 1,058 to 1,153, but there is little new interpretation. For owners of the first edition, there are likely to be too few changes to warrant purchasing the second edition, but those who don’t, and are interested in the sound identification of bats, this is essential reading.Stuart Newson
Avifaunas, Atlases & Authors: a Personal View of Local Ornithology in the United Kingdom, from the Earliest Times to 2019
Author:
David Ballance
Publisher: Calluna Books, Wareham
Published: 2020
As the title of this book suggests, it is a meta-book; a book about other books. Its main purpose is to inform the reader about works that deal, in various ways, with the element of place in ornithology. These can largely be separated into books describing where different birds occur within a country or region (atlases), and those describing the occurrence and status of birds in one or more localities (avifaunas). It is a follow-up to a previous book (and three large supplements expanding on it) by the same author called Birds in Counties, which was published in 2001. Birds in Counties extracted annotated bird species lists from all the main books, papers, articles and reports of relevance to each county in the UK. By contrast, this book does not aim to summarise the available information but, rather, grants readers an awareness of this vast literature, and better equips them to navigate within it.The book is divided into two parts, the first of which sets the scene by describing how bird-recording has evolved in Britain and Ireland. In doing so, the author also deals with works that have an over-arching significance, such as those deriving from the four British and Irish Atlas projects. The second, much larger section takes the reader county by county through publications whose perspective is more local. Over 100 pages in this section are taken up with bibliographies for each county; but Ballance takes the reader far beyond a list of the relevant authors, dates and titles. Each chapter gives some sense of the main bird-related interests within the county and the history of local ornithology there. In describing the relevant literature, he clearly conveys the significance of the main works with useful information about their scope and quality, as well as their relevance and availability both to historical scholars and modern-day readers. However, perhaps the main attraction of the book, from a non-academic perspective, is the author’s vivid portrayal of hundreds of ornithologists who have contributed to bird recording in one or more of these counties. A few of these people will likely be familiar to most readers; but the vast majority will not be. In providing us with glimpses into the lives and characters of these extraordinary people and their remarkable achievements, Ballance brings to life what might otherwise have been quite a dry recital of books, dates and places.This impressive tome will be an essential addition to most ornithological libraries. Its ring-bound 314 A4 pages give it a thesis-like appearance, but the breadth and depth of knowledge it contains far exceeds what can be accumulated during a few years of concentrated research. As well as enabling the author’s stated aim of producing the book for relatively little cost (thereby making it accessible to as wide a readership as possible), this format makes the book well suited to being used as a reference, which is its main purpose. This is not a book that is destined to be read from cover to cover by the majority of its owners. However, the wealth of interesting information it contains, and the quality of the writing with which this is conveyed, make it a highly enjoyable book to dip into. Such an encounter might serve as a quick history lesson on one’s own county, or take a more meandering path through the evolution of local ornithology. In either case, it will probably be more entertaining than you expect!Book reviewed by Mark Wilson
Moult is a fascinating basic life history event in birds which, despite its major impact on their life cycle, is relatively poorly understood and even neglected. This is a companion to the excellent Moult and Ageing of European Passerines (secodnd edition, 2020) by the same authors, previously reviewed in BTO News 335. It started life as a revision of the short summary in the introductory chapters of the Moult and Ageing of European Passerines (first edition, 1994) for the second edition, before being expanded into a book in its own right, as arguably the first general review on moult in birds covering the biology, physiology and ecology of moult.The book itself is divided up into five main chapters covering: 1) the functions of moult, 2) plumage maintenance and why it needs renewal, 3) the actual process of moulting, 4) the effects of environmental conditions during moult on plumage quality and its consequences, and 5) how moult fits into the annual cycle with regards to moult strategies. Each chapter can more or less stand on its own, which does result in some repetition due to the same topics and findings being relevant to more than one area, but it does also avoid the need to read it from cover to cover if you are primarily interested in only part of the work. To aid this, each chapter is subdivided into sections and subsections with helpful short summaries at the end of many of the subsections, and a longer summary and concluding remarks at the end of each section to summarise current knowledge and suggest further research ideas, allowing readers to get the gist of sections quickly.While perhaps not the lightest of reading at about 240 pages plus many pages of references, the more complex topics are explained and summarised well and anybody with an interest in bird moult, such as bird ringers, should find it easy to get into. It’s not a guidebook so don’t expect species accounts, but a wide range of species is mentioned as the authors draw from moult literature across the bird families, highlighting both relatively common moult strategies and traits along with the more unusual, including at times considering differences in moult of closely related species and even subspecies. As the authors, their work (and perhaps most of this book’s likely readers) are based in Europe, there is perhaps an understandable slight bias towards European breeding and moulting species so a more in-depth exploration of the complex moults of North American passerines or topical moulting species including our own migrants could have being interesting, but this a minor quibble and they are still covered. The figures, both diagrammatic and photographs, are excellent and informative throughout, including many example photos of bird wings with in-depth explanatory captions and sometimes labelling in similar vein to their books on European passerine,s although also including non-passerines.All in all, if you want a deep understanding of bird moult biology and processes this book is easily the most in-depth book in existence on this topic while remaining accessible. Although the primary readership is likely to be bird ringers and academics, this book is of potential interest to all ornithologists seeking a greater understanding of bird moult and appearance.Book reviewed by Hugh Hanmer
Author:
Vic Fairbrother, Ken Hutchinson, Jonathan Pomroy (Illustrator) & Chris Rollie (Fwd)
Publisher: Whittles Publishing, Dunbeath
Published: 2020
In my career as a field ornithologist, I would rate one of the best projects I ever worked on as the season I spent assisting on the long-running Ring Ouzel (Turdus torquatus) monitoring project at Glen Clunie in Aberdeenshire. That project initiated my passion for the mountain blackbird and having the opportunity to spend hours among the heather and crags peering into the intricacies of Ring Ouzel life taught me so much about interpreting the behaviour of individual birds. From being a part of that project, I was able to join the Ring Ouzel Study Group; a motley band of dedicated fieldworkers and conservationists from all over the UK that meet once a year (in normal times) to talk about all things related to the moon-chested beauties, one of our least-studied Red-listed species. It was at the last group meeting that I met the authors of this new book, Vic Fairbrother and Ken Hutchinson, and since getting a taster of their remarkable fieldwork achievements in their update at the group’s meeting, I have been waiting in anticipation for their book to be published.First and foremost, The Ring Ouzel: A view from the North York Moors is a thorough compendium of two decades worth of careful field study of a single species. But it is also a love letter to the landscapes and wildlife of Yorkshire, and the authors’ affection for these shines through. The book consists of 19 chapters, starting with a general introduction to Ring Ouzels and the current knowledge base we have about their status in the UK, and a summary of the main Ring Ouzel study areas. The major focus of the book is the authors’ study site at Rosedale in the North York Moors, and each chapter is devoted to one aspect of the Ring Ouzel annual cycle. Starting with their arrival in spring from their wintering grounds, through to breeding history at particular locations through Rosedale, and their breeding behaviour through egg, chick and fledging stages, detailed descriptions of each of these life stages are compared and contrasted with what is known about Ring Ouzel ecology elsewhere using field notes and observations from the Rosedale study site. The book also includes a very interesting chapter on Ring Ouzel communication and song which will be useful for upland ecologists in an age where sound recording is becoming more commonplace. Chapters on predation and shared habitats neatly show the interactions Ring Ouzels have with other species in the moorland ecosystem. The final chapter discusses the multitude of conservation issues that Ring Ouzels face and work that is ongoing to further study and protect them.I really enjoyed the use of transcribed field notes and diary accounts throughout the text, as they allow the reader to be there in the field with the authors to experience the finding of a nest, a particular quirk of behaviour of one of the birds, or a change in the weather. If nothing else the book shows the value in taking brief but detailed notes in the field. A real highlight is the use of evocative watercolour plates of Ring Ouzels; a difficult subject to photograph, the paintings really show the subtleties of their character and behaviour, and they complement the photographs used in the book beautifully.A criticism though, is the use of website addresses in the main text. These work well as handy links to further reading and references when used in a digital format like a PDF, but in a book they are jarring, and would have been better consigned simply to a references section or as footnotes.In all this is a beautifully presented book, a treasure trove of knowledge and a great examination of Ring Ouzel ecology. It is a comprehensive endorsement of single-species studies and will be a useful touchstone for the future monitoring and conservation of one of our most vulnerable thrushes.Book reviewed by Anthony Wetherhill
Publisher: Michigan State University Press, Michigan
Published: 2020
The vivid plumage used on the hat on the cover of this book is a reminder of the main reason birds are featured in a book on hats. Covering the history of hats from their earliest evidence at the end of the Stone Age through the peak of the fur and feather trade to modern hat styles, this book cleverly introduces us to the consequences of extravagant tastes in materials and fashions. I picked up this book intrigued as to what facts I might glean from its pages and found myself both fascinated and horrified by the scale of the feather trade that boomed in the 'Western world' that drove many species to be hunted to extinction. I knew this had happened but reading the numbers and weights of plumage and pelts auctioned in the major cities really put things into scale and made me wonder if it might be possible to examine the former population numbers of different species back before such trades put them into endangered numbers.The chapters follow a wide set of topics to take you through this journey, from the earliest hats and the fur trade to specifics of the European and North American markets and fashions ending with 20th Century outcomes. One chapter that might have information that is new to most readers is that called 'Ladies with influence'. This recounts the usually untold histories of how woman founded both the RSPB and Audubon Society with the aim to prevent the mass persecution of birds (and mammals) for the hat trade. Modern conservation efforts are then neatly discussed in the penultimate chapter pointing out where some species have been able to revive their population numbers but that fragmentation of populations means there are still many that have a long way to go. Modern fashions and principles may mean that fewer hats are made with real plumage and furs but there is still a long way to go to recover from the historic damages done.This book is perfect for both the budding historian of either conservation ecology or fashion history, providing many insights into the conflicting natures of the fashion trade and the superiority of natural feathers and fur over artificial substitutes.Book reviewed by Katharine Bowgen
Farming with Nature: Promoting Biodiversity Across Europe Through Partridge Conservation
Author:
Jen Brewin, Francis Buner & Julie Ewald
Publisher: Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust, Fordingbridge
Published: 2020
This book sets out an approach for successfully combining a viable farming business with increasing biodiversity and other public goods. It draws on scientific research and demonstration projects from across Europe and outlines habitat measures designed to benefit the Grey Partridge.The reason the Grey Partridge is the focus of this book is because it is an indicator species for a healthy farmed habitat. As such, there are several sections about other species that will benefit from the Grey Partridge conservation such as Skylarks, Harvest Mice and Butterflies, which is most relevant in modern conservation.This book is aimed for famers, habitat managers and policy makers who wish to encourage partridge conservation. Therefore, it talks a lot about case examples and how specifically to encourage this bird on the ground, such as which specific plants to grow for food and shelter in winter. Therefore, this book is perhaps less relevant for anyone who is interested in general information about partridges and their natural history.The book is full of photographs, illustrations and figures and is very short, so can be read in just an hour or two, making it a good 'go-to' book for those who don't have time to pour over endless papers. Because of this, it is a good reference book, easy to flick through to the relevant pages if you are using it to draw a habitat management plan.Book reviewed by Gillian Birtles
