[A Field Guide to the Birds of Brazil] [By: van Perlo, Ber] [October, 2009]

by Ber van Perlo

Brazil's bird diversity is one of the richest in the world. And yet there has never been a comprehensive field guide to this splendid and elusive avifauna. Until now.The carefully vetted text and images are the first to cover the full range of bird life in this vast and varied country. The more than 1800 up-to-date accounts treat the Yellow-nosed Albatross to the Sombre Hummingbird, the Ash-throated Gnat-eater to the Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, Nighthawks and Jacamars to Motmots, Puffbirds, and Peppershrikes. They are all here--every species and many subspecies found in each region of Brazil--with special attention given to the 218 Brazilian endemics. The book is laid out so that the illustrations sit across from the commentary and the distribution maps, so it is easy to use. Also, the author uses short-hand notation throughout, to make the book compact and easy to carry when in the field. For each bird, the scientific, English, and Portuguese name are given as well as detailed information on measurement; identifying features; habitat; voice, song, and call. Distribution maps show the range for each species, also indicating seasonality and occurrence, essential for finding and identifying specific birds. From the equatorial North to the tropics, the introductory paragraphs set the stage in describing Brazil's varied biogeography, climate, geomorphology, and natural vegetation. A list of protected areas of Brazil, information on relevant national and international organizations, a bibliography and further references, and an English-Portuguese dictionary of frequently used terms enhance the user-friendly qualities.Anyone wishing to fully explore the fabulously varied bird life of Brazil will find this light-weight, easy-to-use, attractive guide an invaluable field companion.

Genres: Nature, Birds, Science, Reference

Paperback

First published September 2, 2009

Reviews

[Jan-Joost Bouwman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Still the only guide covering all of Brazil. Not the best pictures, but certainly not the worst either. Could do with updating since a lot of birds have been split or discovered since the original publication date. As long as you are aware that there are splits missing, still probably the best choice. Used on now 4 trips to Brazil and I didn't see a lot of added value of the Atlantic forest guide on the last trip to South Eastern Brazil.

[Sheri Fresonke Harper · Rating 5 out of 5]

We used it heavily while in the Pantanal area and never found an unidentifiable bird. This was more compact than some, some of the pictures were slightly off color.

[Jim Grant]

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