1) Yang, Liu and Chen Shuihua. Princeton University Press. Flexibound: 672 pages. Price: $39.95 U.S.
PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: China is home to some of the most spectacular birdlife to be found anywhere in the world. This richly illustrated field guide covers every species found throughout the region, including numerous endemic and globally threatened species. Detailed species accounts cover everything from biometrics and habitat to behavior, distribution, and voice, and each one comes with illustrations of the species and a color distribution map. A landmark achievement, Birds of China is the ideal companion for travelers to China and a must for any birder’s bookshelf.
- The first complete English-language field guide to China’s wondrously diverse birdlife
- Covers nearly 1,500 species, including endemics and threatened birds
- Features a wealth of breathtaking color plates painted by leading Chinese artists
- Includes some 4,000 images that illustrate every species
- Discusses China’s geography and zoogeography
- Shares invaluable advice on birding practices and ethics
RECOMMENDATION: This book is a MUST-HAVE for anyone birding China!
2) Van Nieuwenhuyse, Dries et al.. Cambridge University Press. Hardbound: 616 pages. Price: $99.99 U.S.
PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: The basic biology of owls is poorly understood compared to that of other bird species. The Little Owl, Athene noctua, is one of the best models for biological and conservation research. Though widespread across Europe, Asia and North Africa, populations of the Little Owl are now in decline, making studies of its behavior and ecology all the more important. This extensively revised and updated second edition features substantial new long-term data on population dynamics, behavioral observations and breeding biology of the Little Owl. The authors discuss its wide-ranging ecology, genetics, subspecies, and population status by country. In addition, they outline a research strategy and monitoring program. Exceptional illustrations of all fourteen subspecies cover embryonic and chick development, feather growth and moult, including high-quality drawings presenting concrete management suggestions. Whilst being an invaluable resource for academic researchers, its accessible and straightforward style will also appeal to amateur ornithologists and enthusiasts.
RECOMMENDATION: This book is a MUST-HAVE for anyone with a serious interest in the species. The artwork by Joris De Raedt highlights this book!
3) Seng, Lim Kim et al.. John Beaufoy Publishing. Paperback: 236 pages. Price: $35.00 U.S.
PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: A Field Guide to the Birds of Singapore is a fully comprehensive field guide to the 422 bird species of Singapore, as well as ‘escapees’ not formally accepted as ‘wild’ birds. The species are clearly illustrated in over 100 plates, with many variants. The main identifying features of each species are described and key facts cover size, voice, range and status, habitat and breeding. The book also includes information on taxonomy and nomenclature, observing birds, climate, habitats, the breeding cycle, migration and conservation as well as a section on 25 key birdwatching sites with maps.
RECOMMENDATION: This book is a must-have for anyone birding Singapore.
4) Light, Liz and Oscar Thomas. John Beaufoy Publishing. Paperback: 220 pages. Price: $29.99 U.S.
PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: Aotearoa New Zealand has a diverse range of bird species but is especially renowned for its seabirds. Fifteen of the world's 18 penguin species have been recorded in the New Zealand region. Nine of these species breed here. Of petrels, 40 of the world's 127 species breed in the New Zealand region, some on the mainland or nearby islands where they can be seen with ease, and many more are throughout the Southern Ocean. Twelve of the world’s 21 albatross species nest in New Zealand and of those seven do not nest elsewhere. As well as these specific species, the book covers 50 sites on the North and South Islands, Rakiura/Stewart Island and Rekohu/Chatham Islands that are best for birdwatching. Detailed descriptions of each site cover the terrain, tracks and trails where certain species are likely to be encountered. Particular species for each site are highlighted. A fact file for each site lists land or sea access; type of habitat, best time to visit, facilities and accommodation. Key species checklists are provided for each site and particular ones are highlighted with detailed summaries. The second edition is fully updated by Oscar Thomas with 90 new photographs and with three new sites.
RECOMMENDATION: This book is a must-have for anyone birding New Zealand.
5) Zalesky, Philip H. et al..
PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: A full-color, updated and expanded 3rd edition of Philip Zalesky's original book, Birding in Snohomish County and Camano Island, 3rd Edition is a celebration of the variety and bountiful birding locations in the area. This new edition covers more than 80 locations, noting general information about the sites and which birds are common at each. Philip Zalesky's original site descriptions have been revised and updated, including new observations, recent sightings, and historical and natural history information. A checklist includes all 355 species of birds ever sighted in Snohomish County and Camano Island.
RECOMMENDATION: This book is a must-have for anyone birding Snohomish County and Camano Island.
6) O’Shea, Mark. University of Chicago Press. Hardbound: 656 pages. Price: $60.00 U.S.
PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: For millennia, humans have regarded snakes with an exceptional
combination of fascination and revulsion. Some people recoil in fear at
the very suggestion of these creatures, while others happily keep them
as pets. Snakes can convey both beauty and menace in a single tongue
flick, and so these creatures have held a special place in our cultures.
Yet, for as many meanings as we attribute to snakes—from fertility and
birth to sin and death—the real-life species represent an even wider
array of wonders.
Now in a new edition, reflecting the most recent species classifications, The Book of Snakes
presents 600 species of snakes from around the world, covering roughly
one in seven of all snake species. It will bring greater understanding
of a group of reptiles that have existed for more than 160 million years
and that now inhabit every continent except Antarctica, as well as two
of the great oceans.
This volume pairs spectacular photos with
easy-to-digest text. It is the first book on these creatures that
combines a broad, worldwide sample with full-color, life-size accounts.
Entries include close-ups of the snake’s head and a section of the snake
at actual size. The detailed images allow readers to examine the
intricate scale patterns and rainbow of colors as well as special
features like a cobra’s hood or a rattlesnake’s rattle. The text is
written for laypeople and includes a glossary of frequently used terms.
Herpetologists and herpetoculturists alike will delight in this
collection, and even those with a more cautious stance on snakes will
find themselves drawn in by the wild diversity of the suborder
Serpentes.
RECOMMENDATION: This book is a well-illustrated overview of the World's snakes.
7) Secher, Andy. Columbia University Press. Hardbound: 453 pages. Price: $59.95 U.S.
PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: For
more than 250 million years, the primeval oceans of the Paleozoic
teemed with trilobites. These hardy invertebrates evolved into an
astonishing array of separate species―more than 25,000 at last count―and
much remains unknown about these once-ubiquitous creatures. Fossil
enthusiasts are captivated by trilobites’ diversity and adaptability,
enthralled by the possibility of catching a glimpse of a transcendentally
strange past.
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9) Nayler, Ray. Tordotcom. Hardbound: 101 pages. Price: $26.99 U.S.
PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: When you bring back a long-extinct species, there’s more to success than the DNA.
