Books

PHEASANTS,'PARTRIDGES, AND GROUSE introductoryblurbs on each family,genus, and sub- [:] A GUIDE TO THE PHEASANTS, PAR- genus. A 12-page "bibliography"and an index TRIDGES, QUAILS, GROUSE, GUINEAFOWL, conclude the volume. BUTTONQUAILS, AND SANDGROUSE OF THE WORLD. By Steve Madge and Phil McGowan Most species accounts are slightlyless or slightly with Guy M. Kinvan. 2002. Princeton University more than one page long. The shortestaccount is Press, Princeton, NJ, and Oxford, UK. 488 pp. the one-paragraphaccount of the Double-breasted $49.50. Argus(Argusianus bipunctatus) known to date only from a "portionof a single primary feather!"The In thisage of exponentialgrowth of interestin birds, longestaccount is that of the Common [our Ring- bothfield guidesand treatiseson variousgroups of necked] Pheasant, runningto almost four pages, birds have proliferated.The present volume is an althoughWillow Ptarmigan receivestwo species excellentexample of a relativelynew style of book accounts,one labelled "WillowGrouse Lagopus in whicha condensedfield guide sectionis followed (lagopus)lagopus" [actually including 17 described by a longer,handbook-style section. As suggested races],the other"Red GrouseLagopus (lagopus) by the title, this book is a world-wideoverview of scoticus."As indicated in the previous sentence, mostof the gallinaceousbirds and some unrelated speciesnames used in headingsare those used in birds that look similar to them. Galliformes included Europe if the species occurs there, but alternate are those of the familiesPhasianidae (pheasants, names are indicatedclearly. Species accountsare partridges, Old World quails, spudowl and remarkablythorough, given their brief lengths, With peafowl), Numididae(guineafowl), Meleagrididae most containing information on identification (turkeys), Tetraonidae (grouse) and Odonto- features, descriptionsof variants [by age, sex, phoridae(New Worldquails). Galliformes excluded described races, clinal differences, and known or are the Cracidae (guans, chachalacas and suspectedhybrids], measurements, habitat notes, curassows) and Megapodiidae (megapodes, voice,"habits," breeding details, distribution, status scrubfowl and brush-turkeys).Non-gallinaceous (current and often previously), and references. Iook-alikesincluded are buttonquails(a familyfrom These accountsare remarkablydetailed, given the order Gruiformes), the Plains-wanderer their limited length and the fact that some of the (Pedionomus torquatus) of the monotypic domesticated and hunted species have had Pedionomidae within the order Charadriiformes and numerousfull-length books written about them. The sandgrouse, here treated as a separate order, number of references ranges from one (Ruffed Pterocliformes, in the table of contents but as a Grouse!and Gunnison'sPrairie-Chicken) to about familywithin the Charadriiformes(p. 442) inthe text. ten (usuallyabout three to six), with citationsfor better known species limited primarily to The book begins with a few brief introductory comprehensivetreatises that list other references, sections (contents, preface, "systemtalc list of and moreobscure references often listed for poorly species"[essentially a detailedtable of contents], known species. acknowledgements,introduction, style and layout, topography[using a drawingof a Red Junglefowlto The aspect of this book of most direct use to illustrate most features and heads and necks of a bandersis the levelof detailincluded on plumage Helmeted Guineafowland a grouse to illustrate variation. In addition to the usual differences some others],and a two-pageglossary. These are betweenor amongdifferent age, sex, or seasonal followedby 74 colorplates, each with a facingpage categories, descriptions, often detailed, are outlining key features useful in distinguishing provided for various races, other geographical among species, races, sexes, ages and/or variants and numerous hybrids or presumed seasonalplumages-essentially a field guide.The hybrids.The authorsalso pointout disagreements bulk of the book (pp. 171-462) follows,with more among authorities as to the amount and/or detailed accounts of each species and short significance of such variations. Ranges in

Apr - Jun,2003 NorthAmencan Bird Bander Page89 measurements(often differentiatedas to sex) are several areas, would be expected to contain also listed for overall length, wing, tarsus, and several over generalizationsif not errors,but I was "weight"(mass). able to locatefew errorsof fact and was impressed with the careful delineation of uncertainties and Most volumescovering all species in a particular variations between areas. Researchers of each family or orderof birdsare of interestprimarily to species will no doubt notice minor errors or "birders"who can affordto travel extensivelyand to exceptions to generalized statements, but the researcherswho focus on comparativestudies on authors have been remarkably thorough. The some particularaspect of behavior, ecology,life definition of "altitudinal migrant" (p. 23) as a history,or morphologyof a definedgroup of birds. "montane species which habitually moves to However, as many species of waterfowl and considerably lower elevations in winter" would gallinaceousbirds have been introducedinto exclude Blue Grouse, which exhibitsthe opposite regionsfar removed from their native ranges, world- pattern.Apart from split infinitives and some run-on wide treatiseson them can be usefulfor sortingout words,grammatical errors are also sparse. On the mysterybirds that suddenly appear on one'sstudy whole, proof-reading appears to have been area. The authors of this volume appear to have thorough with few "typos" and incorrect cross been especiallythorough in includingintroduced references. For example, all cross references populationswithin the ranges of each species, betweenplates and main text appear to be correct includingnot onlywidespread introductions (such except for one that is only one page off-the text for as Gray Partridge, Chukar, and Ring-necked Blyth's Tragopan starts on p. 284, not 283 as Pheasants in North America), but also numerous indicatedon the captionto plate 32 (p. 88). The only much more localized populations, such as major proof-reading flaw is in the references. HimalayanSnowcock in Nevada,the nowprobably Numerous references cited are not in the extirpatedVancouver Island population of Mountain "bibliography"at the end of the bookand the dates Quail, Green Pheasantsin Delaware, Virginia,and of several others vary between the text and the the main island of Hawaii, and Chestnut-bellied bibliography.In several instances,the editor(s)of a Sandgrousein Hawaii and Nevada. I checked for particularbook are cited in a species account, but several obscure or localized introductions, and the source is listed under the individual author. As found most listed, although the extirpated the comprehensivenessof this volume is likelyto introducedAlberta population of NorthernBobwhite leadto a demandfor a revisionin a few years, I hope and BritishColumbia and Manitoba populationsof that the publisher and authors make the revision Wild Turkeywere missing. even more useful by ensuring that all references cited are included in the bibliography.This one Althoughnot usuallymentioned specifically, many major flaw aside, this is a remarkably thorough of the life historydetails included were determined summary of what is known to date about the at least partially through banding or otherwise species covered and should be of considerable markingindividual birds. Examples cited specifically help to numerous banders, birders, "game bird are that radio-tagging of Verreaux's Monal- managers,"and research ornithologistsalike. Partridgeshas documentedmovements from 2850 m in elevationin springto 3000-3500 m in summer, Martin K. McNicholl that bandingrecoveries have shown that Stubble 4735 Canada Way Quailin Australia disperse in all directionswith 1142 Burnaby, BC V5G 1L3 km the longestdistance documented to date, that limitedradio-tagging of Black-breastedButtonquail indicatesthat they are'"principally sedentary" in spiteof localirruptions, and that radio-trackingand bandingof plains-wanderersdemonstrate strong site fidelityunder "normalcircumstances."

A book covering such a wide array of species, many of which have been studied thoroughlyin Page 90 NorthAmerican Bird Bander Vol. 28 No. 2