Birds, Mammals and Reptiles of the Galapagos Islands

Pica Press/Wild Guides, Swash, A & Still, R. 2000. England
Softcover
R160,00, ISBN 1-873403-82-8, 135mm X 208mm, 168 pages }

This excellent little field guide is aimed primarily at the identification of the birds, mammals and reptiles of the Galapagos Archipelago for both the first time and regular visitor. As such, information on diet and other aspects of biology is sacrificed for information on identification characteristics, but this in no way compromises the quality or usefulness of the book.

The three primary sections (birds, reptiles and mammals) are preceded by an introduction to the aims of the book and how to use it, and overviews of the climate, geography and habitats of the Galapagos. These go a long way towards framing the species that follow and their occurrence on the islands. Each section thereafter follows a logical and clearly set out pattern, first dividing birds, reptiles or mammals into families (such as sea lions, rodents, bats, whales and dolphins for mammals), then by describing and explaining the layout of the plates and finally by illustrating each of the species with accompanying text. The bird and mammal chapters also include short sections on bird and cetacean (whales and dolphins) "topography", bird moults and plumages and how best to search for and identify cetaceans.

Special attention is of course paid to the endemic species and subspecies occurring in the archipelago (19 of 28 reptile species for example) and of interest is the section covering the 13 species of Darwin's Finches. Some of these are notoriously difficult to separate to species level in the field and accordingly most of the text focuses on diagnostic and distribution features: Brief notes on the unusual habits of some such as the so-called "vampire finch" (a sub-population feeds on blood obtained by pecking at the base of loose booby feathers), the Small Ground Finch (these often form a symbiotic relationship with iguanas and tortoises in the manner of the African oxpeckers and feed on ectoparasites) and the Woodpecker and Mangrove Finches (these are among the few species of birds in the world that have mastered the use of a "tool" such a thorn or twig to manoeuvre prey species from their refuges) are also included however and are a welcome addition to the text.

Perhaps the defining feature of the book however is the imaginative way in which photographs and paintings of the species illustrated have been digitally manipulated to appear on the same plates and in the correct proportions for ease of comparison.

Galapagos National Park rules appear on the inside back cover, Spanish names are noted in the text, there is a comprehensive checklist of which species occur on which islands and their habitat preferences, and lists of further reading and contact addresses are included making this an ideal book to obtain for anyone visiting the archipelago.

-Chris Roche-

Posted: Birds by CC Africa, Date: 22 November 2006