Handbook of the Birds of the World: Ostrich to Ducks

Rating:
Summary: A bird lover's bible
Review: I own all six volumes published until now (ostriches to hornbills) of this series and I find it the most amazing source of information on birds. You find a very complete description of every bird family with beautiful pictures of birds in every family, followed by a thorough uptodate description of every single species of bird, including taxonomy, distribution, habitat, feeding, movements, conservation, bibliography... The text is adjacent to a distribution map for every species. You also find gorgeous plates with drawings of each species and important subspecies, male and female plumages.
This is a truly gigantic enterprise, testament to the love that birds inspire on mankind. You don't have to be an ornithologist to apreciate this magnificent work, you just have to enjoy the variety of birds in this world.
This handbook is a work in progress, with many volumes still to come (all passerines plus woodpeckers and allies). Each volume gets better! It is an embarrassment of riches. It is also a wake up call, for it is to be feared that many species described here will desapear before this handbook is completed. I have just received the sixth volume and cannot wait for the next one!

Rating:
Summary: A bird lover's bible
Review: I own all six volumes published until now (ostriches to hornbills) of this series and I find it the most amazing source of information on birds. You find a very complete description of every bird family with beautiful pictures of birds in every family, followed by a thorough uptodate description of every single species of bird, including taxonomy, distribution, habitat, feeding, movements, conservation, bibliography... The text is adjacent to a distribution map for every species. You also find gorgeous plates with drawings of each species and important subspecies, male and female plumages.
This is a truly gigantic enterprise, testament to the love that birds inspire on mankind. You don't have to be an ornithologist to apreciate this magnificent work, you just have to enjoy the variety of birds in this world.
This handbook is a work in progress, with many volumes still to come (all passerines plus woodpeckers and allies). Each volume gets better! It is an embarrassment of riches. It is also a wake up call, for it is to be feared that many species described here will desapear before this handbook is completed. I have just received the sixth volume and cannot wait for the next one!