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Loading... Sylvia Warblersby Hadoram Shirihai
None No current Talk conversations about this book.  Soleglad | Oct 30, 2008 |  no reviews | add a review
Belongs to SeriesHelm identification guides (Sylvia warblers)
The culmination of more than a decade of work, this is the most complete manual available on the large family of insectivorous passerines, the Old World warblers Sylviidae, native to Israel and other Mediterranean countries. The authors include detailed information on the phylogeny, distribution, ecology, appearance, and behavior of Sylvia warblers. They draw on tremendous experience and expertise to sort out the complex plumage variations of these notoriously stealthy birds, noting coloration changes by distribution, age, and sex. Attention is also given to the wide variation in song among Sylvia. The volume contains an incredible amount of original data, compiled from field studies and meticulous museum research. Importantly, the authors use a novel approach to systematics, resulting in the proposal of four new species splits. One of Europe's finest bird illustrators contributed the beautiful color plates, and a respected pioneer in field bird photography spent countless hours in desert conditions to obtain the 546 remarkable color photographs of these furtive warblers. No other book has provided such an abundance of detail for one genus of birds, nor the quality and number of illustrations showing individual and geographic variation. All this, combined with DNA information on systematic relationships, makes this book unique among modern identification guides. It is that rare guide that constitutes both a major contribution to ornithology and an excellent reference for birders. It marks a new stage in ornithological literature and will set the standard for future works. No library descriptions found. |
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 Google Books — Loading...GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)598.8Natural sciences and mathematics Zoology Birds Insessores, perchersLC ClassificationRatingAverage: (4.5)
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Wikipedia in English (4)
1
This is a masterful book. Of all the books in this series of bird family/groups, this is the most outstanding due to its in-depth text, superb artistry, and extensive series of quality photographs. Covering all 22 species (plus subspecies) of warblers in the genus Sylvia, this thick book leaves almost nothing undocumented that one would want to know about these birds. The book does an incredible job at reviewing every subspecies and geographical race. Its research also proposes new species split out from the existing ones.
The 20 color plates exhibit top notch artistic skill. All illustrations show wonderful detail and accurate colors. Each bird is displayed with 5-21 different illustrations to cover all the plumage variations of genders, races, and seasons. All of the paintings are large and show good detail. Additional black-and-white drawings are supplied for each bird. These offer detail on tail or wing patterns as well as behavioral jizz.
Another 96 plates provide 546 excellent color photographs. Every photo is outstanding. It’s hard to believe any plumage or variation is not depicted within this collection. Even the less common melanistic form of the Blackcap found in Madeira is shown with six different photos. Just as a note, 60-70% of the photos are of birds held in the hand.
Each bird is assigned its own chapter, which ranges from 22-36 pages each. The five warblers (formerly known as Parisoma) in the African-Arabian area receive only 4-6 pages each. The text offers an incredible amount of information arranged into eight sections. These are introduction, field identification, voice, identification in the hand, subspecies taxonomy, moult-age-sex, general biology and ecology, and population size and trends. Each of these sections is often broken down into further segments. Additional information is provided in tables and graphs for measurements and other biometrics. Detailed drawings are provided of the opened wing to demonstrate the progression of moult for each bird. Sonograms are also provided for each bird.
The range maps are large and very detailed. For some birds, two full pages are used to display the summer and winter ranges. Political borders of the countries and many rivers are included to offer greater geographic orientation. My only critique of the maps is how they are sometimes skewed or stretched to fit into the page.
As on other critique, the plates are found within the bird's respective chapter. This means it is not easy to compare similar species side-by-side without flipping through many pages.
This book is a real masterpiece and is a requirement for any ornithologist’s or avid birder’s library.
I’ve listed several related books below…
1) A Guide to the Warblers of the Western Palaearctic by Parmenter
2) Warblers of Europe, Asia, and North Africa by Baker
3) A Field Guide to the Warblers of Britain and Europe by Moore
4) The Chiffchaff by Clement
5) Birds of Europe with North Africa and the Middle East by Johnsson
6) Birds of Europe by Mullarney et al. (