The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World: 6th Edition

This hefty but user-friendly compendium lists more than 9,800 species of birds and was near completion when Jim Clements died in 2005. At the behest of his widow Karen Clements, the torch has been picked up by The Cornell Lab of Ornithology under the direction of John Fitzpatrick, who provides the preface. The volume opens with a touching tribute to Clements from Jared Diamond, his friend and collaborator on previous editions. The checklist itself provides the species name (English then scientific) followed by a list of the major subspecies with a brief summary of world range for each. The inclusion of subspecies is critical in my view, to emphasize that species are more than simple check marks and to allow users to keep track of future taxonomic changes. It is hard to think of a better example of a moving target than a checklist of birds of the world. Avian names and affinities are in a constant state of flux and there are many points or disagreement or outright ambiguity. To help address this, and keep the volume semi-current, a compendium of updates and corrections will be maintained on-line by the Lab of Ornithology at Cornell. Common or English names present one of the thorniest areas and a planned electronic update will feature a comprehensive list of species that have different English names from those used by Clements and the International Ornithological Congress (IOC). A weakness, however, is that justifications are given for any of the decisions/choices. I appreciate that this challenging for such a huge list but referencing to key publications would help. This is probably where the web could be most useful. Presumably Clements and his team have extensive notes to back up each of their choices, and it is a shame that the information cannot somehow find its way into the public domain.

In 1983, the American Birding Association (ABA) accepted Clement's Birds of the World as the standard for species found outside of the ABA and AOU Checklist areas. Besides the world listers, I imagine many traveling birders will find this reference volume useful as an organized list of recognized subspecies and for clarification of common bird names. Those who own the complete set of Handbook of the Birds of the World (Lynx Edicions) can find similar information, but not in such a convenient format. There are of course other checklist out there. Edward Dickinson's 3rd edition of the Howard & Moore Checklist (2003) has been well-recieved, not least because of the much more extensive cross-referencing to the scientific literature and the bibliography contains ~3,000 items. A 4th edition is expected in 2009.

Turning back to Clements, I keep gazing at the exquiste cover photograph of a male Banded Pitta by Wicha Narungsri, which evokes fond memories of Thailand's broadleaf forest.

Details
Title: The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World
Sixth Edition.
Author: James F. Clements.
Publisher: Cornell University Press.
Pages: 844 pages, 8 3/4 x 11 1/4, tables, maps.
ISBN: 0-8014-4501-9.
Published: June 2007.
Retail Price: U$59.95.

A Complete Guide to Antarctic Wildlife - Second Edition

Although I haven't seen a copy yet, it is exciting to learn that the second edition of this outstanding guide has just been released by A&C Black and Princeton University Press. The publishers blurb and past communications with Hadoram lead me to believe that this is a significant revision (not just cosmetic) with hundreds of new photographs. The hefty tome describes the breeding birds and marine mammals of Antarctica, the Southern Ocean, and the numerous subantarctic islands. There are also numerous maps and descriptions of the geography and history of the region as it relates to the wildlife. A perfect companion to any voyage south!

I am really looking forward to getting my hands on a copy of the new edition and will review the changes in a future TOWBS posting.

You can see my brief overview of the first edition on OceanWanderers.com.

Details
Title: The Complete Guide to Antarctic Wildlife:Birds and Marine Mammals of the Antarctic Continent and the Southern Ocean (Second Edition).
Author: Hadoram Shirihai.
Illustrator: Brett Jarrett.
Hardback, 544 pages, 7 x 10, 920 color illus. 128 maps.
Retail Price: US$55.00 (Princeton), £35.00 (A&C Black).

Field Guide to the Birds of Trinidad and Tobago

On a recent trip to the Caribbean islands of Trinidad and Tobago I had the pleasure of extensively testing this new field guide by Martyn Kenefick (a Briton now resident in Trinidad) and co-authors Robin Restall and Floyd Hayes.

The guide begins with a general introduction to (bio)geography and climate the twin islands of Trinidad and Tobago, a more generic summary of bird topography and identification and then a very useful summary of the top birding spots on both islands. Having failed to purchase a copy of William L Murphy's Birdwatchers' Guide to Trinidad & Tobago, I found the brief but accurate directions and highlights very useful. The painted plates are adapted from Birds of Northern South America: An Identification Guide (2007 Yale University Press) by Restall, Rodner, Lentino and Williams, showing the appropriate subspecies for T and T. In general, the layout is good, with similar species gathered together on the same page and the plates are less crowded than in Restall et al.. One niggle is that many of the pigeon and doves are not illustrated in flight, and I found this to be a problem with the shyer forest species where flight views are what you get. Peterson style pointers are used to good effect on many plates but are entirely absent on others (e.g. kingfishers). Following the main species entries - text and corresponding plates on facing pages - the book ends with an up-to-date and useful TT checklist. Kenefick emphasizes the importance of formally documenting rarities (apparently a problem in the past), providing an address for submissions and a list of reviewable species.

This guide is the successor to Richard ffrench's influential A Guide to the Birds of Trinidad and Tobago (2001 Comstock) and I had the rare pleasure of meeting both Martyn and Richard during our stay the Asa Wright Nature Centre on Trinidad. In a touching tribute, the new guide is dedicated to the ffrench. To my surprise, Birds of the West Indies (2003 Princeton University Press) by Herbert Raffaele et al. does not include TT, arguing that the islands more properly belong to the South American avifauna.

In summary, Kenefick and collaborators have produced a superb companion to any visit to this delightful island nation. The guide is light enough to be carried in the field, although it is always better to study the birds carefully, make notes and just enjoy them before reviewing the field guide at the end of the day with a refreshing rum and coke in hand!

Details
Publisher: Yale University Press
Publication Date: Jan 28, 2008
288 p., 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 107 color illus.
ISBN: 9780300135572
ISBN-10: 0300135572
Retail Price: US$ 40.00 (paper)