Foto do autor

Obras de Hadoram Shirihai

Etiquetado

Conhecimento Comum

Data de nascimento
1962
Sexo
male
Nacionalidade
Israel
Local de nascimento
Israel
Locais de residência
Jerusalem, Israel
Eilat, Israel
Ocupação
ornithologist
Organizações
International Birdwatching Center

Membros

Resenhas

I have had this book for years now and I must say its is the best marine mammal ID book I can find. The book contains every possible species and the illustrations are amazing.

I live in the UK but have taken this book with me to other coutries also. It includes information on migration, ecology, anatomy and more.

My number 1 book.
 
Marcado
Pinniped23 | Sep 19, 2014 |
Basics: 2001, hardcover, 576 pages, 20 color plates of 22 species, 96 plates of 546 color photos, range maps

This is a masterful book. Of all the books in this series of bird family/groups, this is the most outstanding due to its in-depth text, superb artistry, and extensive series of quality photographs. Covering all 22 species (plus subspecies) of warblers in the genus Sylvia, this thick book leaves almost nothing undocumented that one would want to know about these birds. The book does an incredible job at reviewing every subspecies and geographical race. Its research also proposes new species split out from the existing ones.

The 20 color plates exhibit top notch artistic skill. All illustrations show wonderful detail and accurate colors. Each bird is displayed with 5-21 different illustrations to cover all the plumage variations of genders, races, and seasons. All of the paintings are large and show good detail. Additional black-and-white drawings are supplied for each bird. These offer detail on tail or wing patterns as well as behavioral jizz.

Another 96 plates provide 546 excellent color photographs. Every photo is outstanding. It’s hard to believe any plumage or variation is not depicted within this collection. Even the less common melanistic form of the Blackcap found in Madeira is shown with six different photos. Just as a note, 60-70% of the photos are of birds held in the hand.

Each bird is assigned its own chapter, which ranges from 22-36 pages each. The five warblers (formerly known as Parisoma) in the African-Arabian area receive only 4-6 pages each. The text offers an incredible amount of information arranged into eight sections. These are introduction, field identification, voice, identification in the hand, subspecies taxonomy, moult-age-sex, general biology and ecology, and population size and trends. Each of these sections is often broken down into further segments. Additional information is provided in tables and graphs for measurements and other biometrics. Detailed drawings are provided of the opened wing to demonstrate the progression of moult for each bird. Sonograms are also provided for each bird.

The range maps are large and very detailed. For some birds, two full pages are used to display the summer and winter ranges. Political borders of the countries and many rivers are included to offer greater geographic orientation. My only critique of the maps is how they are sometimes skewed or stretched to fit into the page.

As on other critique, the plates are found within the bird's respective chapter. This means it is not easy to compare similar species side-by-side without flipping through many pages.

This book is a real masterpiece and is a requirement for any ornithologist’s or avid birder’s library.

I’ve listed several related books below…
1) A Guide to the Warblers of the Western Palaearctic by Parmenter
2) Warblers of Europe, Asia, and North Africa by Baker
3) A Field Guide to the Warblers of Britain and Europe by Moore
4) The Chiffchaff by Clement
5) Birds of Europe with North Africa and the Middle East by Johnsson
6) Birds of Europe by Mullarney et al.
… (mais)
 
Marcado
Soleglad | Oct 30, 2008 |
Basics: 2008, 2nd edition, hardcover, 544 pages, 35 color plates, 920 color photos, range maps

Exquisite. Impressive. Awesome. This is an incredible book for three reasons. One, the thoroughness of information for so large a geographic region is unmatched in any other book I've seen. Two, the depth of coverage for each species leaves the reader wanting for little else. Three, the photos are outstanding and probably offer the best examples available for many of these remote species.

This book has excellent photos for remote species that 99% of us will only dream about seeing. Other than the Field Guide to the Animals and Plants of Tristan da Cunha and Gough Island, this book offers the best photos of the birds of the Tristan da Cunha islands -- a remote location that has always captured my fancy and wishes. Other sub-antarctic islands like Antipodes, South Georgia, Falklands, Chatham, Campbell, and Aukland islands have their unique species covered.

The text dedicated to each of the bird and mammal species is well written, complete, and invaluable to anyone visiting this sub-polar region. Topics for each include identification, distribution and biology, conservation, and taxonomy. The range maps do a valiant job at trying to capture detail for such a massive area. Viewed from directly above the southern pole, the map shows all of Antarctica along with the southern tips of South America, Africa, Australia, and all of New Zealand. The information in the identification section is detailed and offers great information on the plumage variations and critical differences between similar species.

The author uses the latest taxonomic revisions, which is important for the ongoing flux with albatrosses, petrels, and shearwaters.

The layout of the chapters is a bit different from the typical book. I recommend taking a few moments to first review the contents outline at the very beginning. It helped me to better understand how the species and geographic groups were aligned as I flipped through the pages. There are several distinct sections which include a synopsis of the region, species accounts for birds and mammals, and regional descriptions to cover the many island groups.

The breadth of information in the first 40 and in the last 120 pages of the book is excellent material on the ecology, natural history, and geography of a rarely seen world. It is also a testament to the author's passions, experience, and scientific contributions.

I have only two small criticisms with the layout of this book. One, the index does not list all page numbers on which the species can be found. As an example, the Gough Moorhen is listed as being found on page 289 but no mention is made of the photo on page 458. This photo is orphaned, not even mentioned in the main species account. The second critique relates to the location of the photos. You must read through the text of the species such as the Inaccessible Island Rail to see that its photo is located 200 pages later in the book. Instead, this note should be atop the heading with the bird’s name, as well as in the index.

If you ever go south of the S40-degree latitude, you must take this book despite its size and weight. This is also a requirement for your library if you have even the slightest interest in Antarctic wildlife.

I’ve listed several related books below…
1) Birds and Mammals of the Antarctic, Subantarctic and Falkland Islands by Todd
2) Field Guide to the Animals and Plants of Tristan da Cunha and Gough Island by Ryan
3) Birds of the Antarctic and Sub-Antarctic by Watson
4) Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds (7 volumes) by Marchant et.al.
… (mais)
1 vote
Marcado
Soleglad | Jul 16, 2008 |
Flycatchers, Reedlings, Babblers, Tits, Nuthatches, Creepers, Penduline Tits, Sunbirds, White-eyes, Orioles, Shrikes, Corvids, Starlings and Mynas, Sparrows and allies, Weavers and Waxbills, Vireos, Finches, New World Warblers, Tanagers, New World Sparrows, Buntings, Cardinals and Icterids
 
Marcado
LNHS.Library | Aug 7, 2018 |

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Estatísticas

Obras
16
Membros
166
Popularidade
#127,845
Avaliação
4.2
Resenhas
5
ISBNs
22
Idiomas
2

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