| Birds of Mexico and Central America (Princeton Illustrated Checklists) | 
 enlarge | Author: Ber Van Perlo
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Category: Book
List Price: £16.04
Buy Used: £10.75
You Save: £5.29 (33%)
Used (7) from £10.75
Avg. Customer Rating:  1 reviews
Sales Rank: 808985
Media: Paperback
Edition: New Ed
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 336
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 5 x 0.8
ISBN: 0691120706
Dewey Decimal Number: 598.0972
EAN: 9780691120706
ASIN: 0691120706
Publication Date: July 3, 2006
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Condition: Ships from U.S.A., to anywhere in the United Kingdom! Orders only take 3-5 days! We specialise in service to the U.K. and only ship airmail.
|
| Customer Reviews:
Compact, Basic Overview August 11, 2006
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
The good news about this book is that it provides the most extensive coverage of the region, with the birds of all of Mexico and Central America being illustrated in a single volume for the first time. It is also very small, compact and light-weight.
Unfortunately - and predictably - the price to be paid for this is the quality. Illustrations are tiny, often just 2-3 cms in size, and usually dozens of them are crammed on one page. What's more, there are no "arrows" pointing out distinguishing marks between the similar species, making a bewildering page featuring 30+ tiny, green hummingbirds look like one of those "Can you spot the difference?" puzzles.
Text on the pages opposite the illustrations is extremely limited (usually 2-3 lines for each species), simply noting size, basic distribution and habitat info, plus maybe voice and a few key distinguishing features - though the latter are all too often replaced by the word "unmistakeable". With so many species on one page, often even this limited info has to spill over to the previous or following page!
Maps are tucked away in the back of the book, and are also very basic and small. They only show distribution very roughly, and often with the paint completely obscuring topographical features like country boundaries.
All things told, if you just want a cheap, basic and compact introduction to what this exotic region has to offer, this book may be good value. However for actual use as a field guide it is hardly the best, and it may well be worth investing into more guides that each cover a more limited region better.
"A Guide to the Birds of Mexico and Northern Central America" by Steve N.G. Howell seems to remain the best alternative with the widest coverage of this region.
|
|
|
