New Title

1) Gwynne, John A., Robert S. Ridgely, Guy Tudor and Martha Argel. Wildlife Conservation Society Birds of Brazil: The Pantanal and Cerrado of Central Brazil. 2011. Cornell University Press. Paperback: 322 pages. Price: $35.00 U.S.

SUMMARY: Brazil, the fifth largest nation in the world, is one of the planet's richest places for avian diversity and endemism. With the Birds of Brazil field guide series, the Wildlife Conservation Society brings together a top international team to do justice to the incredible diversity of Brazil's avifauna. This first guide of the planned five-volume series features the 743 bird species of the Pantanal and Cerrado regions of Central Brazil.
     The sprawling Pantanal plain, one of the world's most famed birding sites, is a seasonally flooded wetland boasting both impressive concentrations of large waterbirds and species such as the Toco Toucan, Hyacinth Macaw, Golden-collared Macaw, and endemic Blaze-winged Parakeets. The Cerrado is a distinctive Brazilian habitat that is the planet's biologically richest savanna.
     This compact modern field guide's unparalleled color artwork throughout, identification points, and range map for each species enable easy identification of all the birds normally found in these vibrant and critically important areas of Brazil. With 116 threatened species encompassing 25 percent of South America's threatened birds, Brazil has an imperative to conserve its birds and unique habitats that begins with their appreciation and identification. Thus, the species accounts are coupled with an introductory chapter on the region's unique environments and pressing conservation challenges. This practical and portable guide is an indispensable companion to those visiting Brazil's glorious natural areas of the Pantanal and Cerrado.
RECOMMENDATION: Eight artists did the artwork with Guy Tudor doing the passerines ( taken from his earlier works) and the other artists doing the non-passerines. Anyone with an interest in the birds of Brazil will want this guide!