Abstract
South America, though home to about one-third of the world's bird species and twice as many endemic families of birds as any other continent, has the world's sparsest population of birdwatchers. BIRDS OF SOU1HERN sourn AMIERICA AND ANTARCTICA (Princeton University Press) by Martin R. de la Pefla and
Maurice Rumboll illustrates and describes all the known species-more than 1,000 of them-in a vast swath of this underexplored birder's paradise, from Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Paraguay, southern Brazil, and Uruguay, to parts of Antarctica. Just some of the birds it covers are teals, tinamous, chachalacas, conebills, cuckoos, macaws, parakeets, parrots, penguins, nightjars, hummingbirds, ovenbirds, tyrants, and tanagers. The habitats range from torrid rainforests and cloudforests to grasslands, the world's driest desert, second highest mountain range, and ice caps.
The 97 color plates depict each species' male in breeding plumage, with the female and young often shown as well. On the facing page are concise textual descriptions of each species, highlighting not only salient physical features and behavioral patterns but the calls or songs of each. Casual birders and ornithologists contemplating a journey to the region, or simply interested in a one-volume overview of its bird life, will not want to miss this book.
BIRDS OF SOUTHERN
SOUTH AMERICA and Antarctica is an essential and useful guide because it:
• Is the most up-to-date and comprehensive field guide to every bird species in Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay, southern Brazil, and southern Bolivia, plus Antarctica • Is filled with 97 color plates illustrating more than 1,000 species
• Has text opposite the illustrations concisely describing each bird's physical features, behavior, habitat, and vocal characteristics
• Contains shaded maps showing range and frequency of each species • Shows females or juveniles of many species in addition to adult males
"[A]n outstanding field guide that covers a vast geographic area and includes a wealth of information for more than 1,100 species of birds .... It should be purchased by anybody interested in the birds of southern South America." -Floyd E. Hayes, Auk •