Birds of New Guinea: Second Edition – Book Review
By Gabriel Thoumi
Birds of New Guinea: Second Edition is a wonderful updated and expanded second edition to the original Birds of New Guinea published 28 years ago. New Guinea is the world’s largest and possibly most diverse tropical island. Ranging from glaciers to steep volcanic valleys to scrubland to remote islands, New Guinea also has some of the most diverse avifauna on Earth, including the bulk of the world’s rightly famous birds-of-paradise.
Close to half of New Guinea’s birds are endemic – found nowhere else on Earth. From cassowaries to parrots to birds-of-paradise to kingfishers, New Guinea has some of the most interesting and diverse birding opportunities found anywhere on Earth. Birds of New Guinea: Second Edition describes in rich, illustrated plates 780 bird species including 366 endemic birds found only on New Guinea.
In Birds of New Guinea: Second Edition, the authors have greatly expanded the description of each species beyond the typical birding guide. Each bird’s description includes a highly detailed analysis of their behavior, diet, nesting, and other features including how to identify sex and local variation in plumage and size. This is done by changing the typical bird book style where information is only opposite the illustration of each bird by adding a second much larger expanded section on each bird that is separate from the illustration of each bird.
Birds of New Guinea: Second Edition is an absolute must-have for both birders and individuals who work in the public or private sector focused on conservation of New Guinea’s ecosystems.
How to order:
Birds of New Guinea: Second Edition
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 9780691095639
Authors: Thane K. Pratt and Bruce M. Beehler, authors; John C. Anderton and Szabolcs Kókay, illustrators
Gabriel Thoumi, CFA, Certified Ecologist, is a frequent contributor to Mongabay.com.
