Handbook of the Birds of the World: Volume 8 Broadbills to Tapaculos

Edited by Josep del Hoyo, Andrew Elliot and David Christie.
2003, Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain.
245 x 315mm, 846 pages, 81 colour plates, 477 colour photographs
Available direct from http://www.hbw.com/

This remarkable series of books has received so many accolades, that it is becoming rather difficult to praise it without repeating the words of others. Nevertheless, I'll give it a go. Without doubt, this is the single most important series of bird books ever published, and easily the most ambitious. The publishers and editorial team set out (just over 10 years ago) to produce a comprehensive pictorial account of all the world's birds (now reckoned to be in the region of
10 000 species).

To do so, they enlisted the help of expert contributors who have an intimate knowledge of and interest in particular bird families. They also recruited the world's best bird illustrators to prepare the colour plates which feature every single species, and very many races (or subspecies) and invited natural history photographers to submit their best work. Nothing has been spared in production, with superb colour reproduction, exquisite paper and strong binding.

With the non-passerines (from ostrich to woodpeckers) having occupied the first seven volumes, this current volume sees the beginning of the treatment of the passerines (the so-called ‘singing birds' such as thrushes, robins, warblers, babblers, wrens, tanagers, finches and weavers). With 16 volumes predicted in total, it also marks the halfway point for the series.

Of the nine families featured in Volume 8, six are restricted to the neotropics of central and south America. Many of these birds have until recently been very poorly known, so their exhaustive coverage here is of great value and interest. The myriad antbirds, woodcreepers, tapaculos, gnateaters and ovenbirds of tropical rainforest and high altitude moorland, are difficult to observe, let alone study or photograph, but here we can learn everything that is currently known of them and marvel at their understated beauty. In contrast to the mostly earthy tones of the members of these bird families, the illustrations and photographs of the extravagantly plumaged pittas and broadbills dazzle the eye. These colourful but reclusive birds are most diverse in south-east Asia, although a few species occur in tropical Africa and northern Australia. Never before have we seen them all in such glory! The beautiful and bizarre asities - of which there are just four species confined to Madagascar - complete the selection of families covered.

As in previous volumes, each bird family is discussed under the headings of Systematics, Morphological Aspects, Habitat, General Habits, Voice, Food and Feeding, Breeding, Movements, Relationship with Man, and Status and Conservation. After this section, illustrated with colour photographs, each individual species is given its own account, with detailed distribution map and colour illustration.

It is a winning formula and one which many bird watchers and book collectors have found simply irresistible. Considering their size and scope, the individual volumes are very reasonably priced at 145 euros, but it is undoubtedly a major investment to acquire the whole series.

- Duncan Butchart -

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