Handbook of the of the world Volume 3: to Auks, edited by Josep del Hoyo, Andrew Elliott and Jordi Sargatal, 1996. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. 821 pp, 60 colour plates, numerous colour photographs and distribution maps. £110.

With the fourth volume expected imminently and with worldwide acceptance gained, there are no accolades that I can add to the many that have already been lavished on the HBW series. With this in mind, I can only say, again, that this book is cheap for all it offers, that it is a true landmark in the history of ornithological publications and a ‘must’ for ornithologists and birders alike. The general format and presentation of families and species continues as in previous volumes, as well as that of the plates and photographs. The overall quality and standards of plate and photograph reproduction are maintained in this volume; all on excellent quality paper. However, I would note that, at least in my copy, plates 31 (avocets), 37 (), 47 (seedsnipes) and 54 (terns) look a bit pale or faded. A couple of very slight differences distinguish this volume from previous ones. The most important is the inclusion of a “Voice” ‘subsection’ under the description of all Gruidae and Rallidae. This subsection, which had been originally planned only for Passerines, is welcome in this volume, as it will prove particularly useful in the case of the rails and crakes, as much as it would have been for tinamous. I hope we can expect this subsection to appear in some of the other forthcoming non-passerine volumes. The other singularity is the frontispiece accompanying the Foreword, both by Robert Bateman. The illustration depicts a cliff with several breeding seabirds in the Bering Sea. A few main deviations from the sequence that HBW is following have been adopted, the only Neotropical species to be affected is Hoatzin Opisthocomus hoazin which has been placed, very sensibly, in its own Order, Opisthocomiformes. Other changes have been the placement of Plains-wanderer Pedionomus torquatus in and the sandgrouse in Pterocliformes. The photographs continue to be generally outstanding, always depicting interesting habits or a particular behaviour. We can be delighted by excellent pictures of all of the Psophia Trumpeters, Ocellated Crake Micropygia schomburgkii, Sunbittern Eurypyga helias, Diademed Sandpiper- Phegornis mitchelli or Rufous-bellied Seedsnipe gayi. Beware the erroneously captioned photograph on page 113, which reads ‘Grey-necked Wood-’ cajanea, although the depicted is a Giant Wood-rail A. ypecaha. Unfortunately, but understandably, there are far fewer photographs of Neotropical species, notably of rallids, shorebirds and seabirds. Black-legged Seriema Chunga burmeisteri only receives a small picture of a captive bird. A couple of drawbacks can be pointed out concerning the photos and plates, and these are shared with the other volumes. A particular problem with photographs is that the data accompanying them is not standardised and in many cases is deficient. As an example, the caption for the Giant Fulica gigantea photo on page 115 provides details of the site, locality and country, whereas that of the Egyptian Plover Pluvianus aegyptius on page 368 merely states ‘Africa’, and that of the Diademed Sandpiper-plover (like many others) completely lack locality data. In most cases, the date would have also been helpful if included. The plates are also generally of excellent quality. I noticed that the number of artists has risen from five in Vol. 1 to 10 and nine in Vol. 2 and 3 respectively. However, this has appeared only to lower the overall quality, and now plates of excellent quality and precision like 27 (Rostratulidae), 41 and 42 (, dowitchers and curlews), 49 (Stercorariidae) and 50 and 52 (gulls), cohabit with rather poor ones like 10 and 11 (crakes, where bill coloration has been completely disregarded), 47 (Thinocoridae) or 54 and 55 (terns). The maps are open to some criticism, although an improvement should also be noted. Their shape used to look a bit ‘loose’, and the contour of Patagonia in the maps in Vol. 1 and 2 was completely wrong. This has been fixed in Vol. 3, but only in the maps depicting South America; those of the whole world continue to be incorrect. The smaller scale, regional or continental maps would have greatly benefitted from the inclusion of political boundaries. In several cases, maps are presented on too large a scale and fail to show the correct details of bird distribution. This usually leads to ‘overshading’, and the maps of Rufous-sided Crake Laterallus melanophaius, Red-and-white Crake Laterallus leucopyrrhus, Ash-throated Crake albicollis, Blackish Oystercatcher Haematopus ater and Large-billed Tern Phaetusa simplex, for example, are far from accurate. A ‘knowledgeable pencil’ could have easily corrected these problems. Although I believe HBW to be excellent, I would like to point out several other flaws, mistakes or problems unique to this volume. As in previous volumes, the main contribution of HBW is its Family accounts, with the Species accounts less helpful or in some cases poor. At the Family level, two taxonomic arrangements struck me as surprising. The first is the arbitrary lumping of all forms in the Himantopus (except for H. novaezelandiae). Recent authors have tended to afford Black-necked Stilt H. mexicanus specific or subspecific status alike, with Neotropical publications often regarding it as a good full species, probably following Sibley & Monroe4. HBW provides no explanation nor proper discussion to support their treatment, and only state that ‘...these forms are sometimes considered to constitute three to five separate species...’. One would have expected a much more consistent argument for lumping these forms or at least a thorough discussion of the case. A similar case is the resurrection of the genus Thalasseus for a group of six tern species, and the use of Gelochelidon and Hydroprogne. This item is indeed more thoroughly discussed, but again, more consistent arguments for their choice would have been useful. HBW does, however, provide proper and sufficient data to support the recognition of the genus Nycticryphes, distinct from Rostratula and contra their lumping by Sibley & Monroe4. In the species accounts, several problems can be noted. For example, Argentine records of both Limnodromus dowitchers, Willet Catroptophorus semipalmatus, Surfbird Aphriza virgata and Least Tern Sterna antillarum have been completely overlooked, despite the fact that all have been recorded at least four times and all are documented by specimens or photographs. Indeed, there have been a total of eight records of Limnodromus griseus or L. scolopaceus (although all may pertain to griseus). The Magellanic Plover Pluvianellus socialis species account shows a problem of communication between authors and editors. While the range map is consistent with the Distribution and Movements texts (which are both out-of-date) the Bibliography lists Narosky et al.2 which is the reference that updated this species’ winter distribution. Presumably, this reference has been added by the editors without even checking its content against the already written text. Also misleading, as an example, are the statements that some of the Aramides wood-rails have probably declined due to destruction. As minor issues, one can point to the absence of some key bibliographic material, such as Reed3, a key reference for Black Crake Laterallus jamaicensis salinasi or the redundant mention of others, such as Howell & Webb1 under Diademed Sandpiper-plover, a species not treated by these authors. All these drawbacks (as well as the ‘overshaded’ maps) that I have pointed out involve a larger problem. Apart from authors of individual families, a relatively small number of people are involved in the compilation of this edition (as editors, assistants or correctors) of this mega-project, resulting in many points (eg. records, references, unpublished data etc.) being overlooked. Furthermore, only one Neotropical author has been involved in this project to date, whilst ten have been exclusively Neotropical families treated in the first three volumes. I am sure that problems like those I have pointed out for the Neotopics (mainly ) are shared with other Neotropical countries, as well as other areas of the world with poor ornithological knowledge. If worldwide advisers were consulted, many (or even most) of these sometimes subtle mistakes could be avoided, resulting in a far more accurate and up-to-date text. An final item worth mentioning concerns the Spanish vernacular names used in the text. These have been ‘decreed’ by a team of seven authors (two of them editors of HBW) of Spanish origin and published in Ardeola. Although it is reasonable that Spanish people give Spanish names to birds, these are invented names (most often a direct translation of an English name) for c.3,000 species inhabiting Neotropical countries (which are also Spanish-speaking). The result of this work is some of the most ridiculous bird names that I have ever heard. Local (Neotropical) names have been completely and almost always unreasonably disregarded, and I severely doubt that these Spanish names will ever gain acceptance in Central and South America. Juan Mazar Barnett

References 1. Howell, S. N. G. & Webb, S. (1995) A guide to the birds of Mexico and northern Central America. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2. Narosky, T., Di Giacomo, A. G. & Babarskas, M. (1993) Winter presence of Magellanic Plover (Pluvianellus socialis) in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. El Hornero 13: 309–310. 3. Reed, C. S. (1941) Notas referentes a Laterallus jamaicensis salinasi. Phil. Publicacion Oficial No. 14 del Jardin Zoologico Nacional de Chile 2: 7–21. 4. Sibley, C. G. & Monroe, B. L., Jnr. (1990) Distribution and of birds of the world. New Haven & London: Yale University Press.

Devastação e preservação ambiental no Rio de Janeiro by J. A. Drummond, 1997. Niterói, RJ: Editoria Universidade Federal Fluminense. 306 pp. ISBN 85-228-0204-1. No price provided.

Durante anos leigos e cientistas apregoavam que a destruição da Mata Atlântica era um fenômeno iniciado com a colonização portuguesa no Brasil. As chamadas ‘comunidades tradicionais’ (indios, caiçaras e caboclos) sempre tiveram o estado do ‘bom selvagem’ em harmonia com a natureza, sendo o branco europeu um modelo do destruidor da natureza. Somente a partir do livro de Warren Dean A ferro e fogo (Companhia das Letras) e agora deste livro de José Drummond é que o papel das comunidades ‘tradicionais’ na destruição ou modificação ambiental começou a ser enfocado. O livro de Drummond é o resultado de seu mestrado na Evergreen State College, USA em 1988, mas o texto desse livro foi atualizado em 1995. Esse livro representa um estudo detalhado e crítico do uso dos recursos naturais pelos amerindios e portuguesas ao longo dos anos na costa Atlântica brasileira. O livro é dividido em duas partes. Na primeira parte o autor analisa historicamente desde a presença indígena no litoral fluminense e o uso dos recursos naturais, até a cultura da cana-de-açúcar e café pelos portugueses. Ne segunda parte Drummond descreve o histórico e o status de conservação dos parques nacionais do Rio de Janeiro. Infelizmente essa parte é um pouco frustante para biólogos, pois descreve genericamente a fauna e flora. Por outro lado, e leitura do texto é dinâmica e o autor não faz uso de jargões específicos, típico de cientistas socais. E’ um livro que toda pessoa interessada em meio ambiente e conservação deveria ler. A falsa imagem do ‘bom selvagem’ ainda está presente na maioria dos leigos, politicos e ambientalistas brasileiros. Somente com análises históricas como o livro de Drummond faz, poderemos traçar medidas efetivas de proteção ambiental sem pré-conceitos estabelecidos por ambientalistas ‘politicamente corretos’. Dr Mauro Galetti

Key Areas for threatened birds in the Neotropics by David C. Wege & Adrian J. Long, 1995. Cambridge, UK: BirdLife International. 311 pp, 59 maps, 4 figures, 15 line drawings. $49.95/£29.00.

The ‘non-Caribbean Neotropics’ constitute only 16% of global land area but hold no less than 39% (290) of the world’s threatened species, according to the monumental Threatened birds of the Americas2. Site-specific synthesis was needed to distill the information in the latter into practical recommendations for conservation1. Key Areas for threatened birds in the Neotropics carries out this critical task. It is appropriate that the book is dedicated to the memory of Ted Parker, co-author of Threatened birds of the Americas2, who’s influence on Neotropical bird conservation lives on in Key Areas. The book’s layout is straightforward. A forward by Enrique Bucher and three introductory chapters give an overview and outline the selection process for Key Areas. Simply, “the three most important areas from which a threatened bird is known were selected as Key Areas.” These chapters also provide comparative information on , countries and protected status. The bulk of Key Areas follows, comprising country-by-country (the small nations of ‘The Guianas’ and ‘North Central America’ are combined) inventories of the 569 Key Areas for threatened birds in the Neotropics. Each national inventory is introduced by six subsections that summarise numbers and distribution of ‘Threatened Birds’ and ‘Key Areas’, ‘Key Area Protection’, ‘Recent Changes to the Threatened List’, ‘Old Records and Little-Known Birds’ and a broad ‘Outlook’ for conservation. Data sources are conveniently listed with each national inventory. Two tables (which could have been combined) list threatened species by Key Areas, and a third table highlights each country’s most important Key Areas. Three maps (in the case of , seven maps) show, for each country, point locations for threatened bird records, the distribution of Endemic Bird Areas4, and the geographical locations of the Key Areas. Site inventories follow, listing for each Key Area information on location, size, altitude, vegetation, protected status, whether the site overlaps an Endemic Bird Area, and dated (to the most recent) records of threatened birds. Five useful appendices and an alphabetic index of Key Areas complete the book. As you peruse Key Areas, two points become clear. First, despite the huge quantity of data synthesized in this book, it is obvious just how scanty our knowledge of many neotropical birds really is. The sections on ‘Old Records and Little-Known Birds’ continually stress this, and a glance at the recent literature confirms it. Witness, for example, the rediscoveries of Rio de Janeiro Antwren Myrmotherula fluminensis at BR 088, Kinglet Cotinga Calyptura cristata at BR 0883, and Cherry-throated Tanager Nemosia rourei at BR 0786, all reported in Cotinga last year. Similarly, recent studies have greatly updated our knowledge of the distribution of threatened species in Paraguay5. This is not a criticism of Key Areas: on the contrary, the book should be instrumental in directing fieldworkers to poorly known sites. Second, Key Areas makes clear the huge task facing conservation in the Neotropics. Overall, only 44% of the Key Areas receive any kind of official protection. This percentage varies greatly between countries: of the five countries with 50+ Key Areas, four have less than half of their Key Areas protected: (12%), (39%), Mexico (33%) and Ecuador (34%). Encouragingly, Brazil, with the largest number of both Key Areas (142) and threatened species (96), has 60% of its Key Areas under protection, but despite this 12 Brazilian threatened endemics remain unprotected. This book makes priorities for conservation action clear on both continental and national scales. In sum, Key Areas for threatened birds in the Neotropics should be essential reading for a number of audiences. For the resource manager, it provides a survey of the Neotropical areas where conservation is most urgent. For the avid birder, it provides direction to places where the rarest species are found, and indicates further areas where they could usefully be searched for. Most importantly, for the conservation ornithologist, it presents the data on exactly where the threatened birds of the Neotropics are, and how they can best be protected.

Lisa Manne and Thomas Brooks References 1. Collar, N. J. (1994) Red Data Books, Action Plans, and the need for site-specific synthesis. Species 21–22: 132–133. 2. Collar, N. J., Gonzaga, L. P., Krabbe, N., Madroño Nieto, A., Naranjo, L. G., Parker, T. A. & Wege, D. C. (1992) Threatened birds of the Americas: the ICBP/IUCN Red Data Book. Cambridge, UK: International Council for Bird Preservation. 3. Curson, J. & Lowen, J. (1997) Neotropical News. Cotinga 7: 6–10. 4. ICBP (1992) Putting biodiversity on the map: priority areas for global conservation. Cambridge, UK: International Council for Bird Preservation. 5. Lowen, J. C., Bartrina, L., Clay, R. P., Brooks, T. M. & Tobias, J. (1996) Project YACUTINGA ’95: Bird surveys and conservation priorities in eastern . Cotinga 5: 14–19. 6. Scott, D. A. (1997) A possible re-sighting of the Cherry-throated Tanager Nemosia rourei in Espírito Santo, Brazil. Cotinga 7: 61–63.

Birding in by Mary Lou Goodwin, fourth edition, 1997. Caracas, Venezuela: Sociedad Conservacionista Audubon de Venezuela. 281 pp. ISBN 980-6326-17-2. c.$21.

There can be few ornithological visitors to Venezuela who have not come across Mary Lou Goodwin or read her well-known Birding in Venezuela. The book is the ideal compliment to the country’s standard field guide, Meyer de Schauensee and Phelps’ A guide to the birds of Venezuela, and has become an essential item along with binoculars, tape-recorder and packed lunch. Over the ten years and four editions since its first appearance, there have been many improvements and the 1997 version continues to break new ground. So what is new? Firstly, at 281 pages, the amount of text is more than double that of the third edition. This in part is due to the treatment of many new and exciting sites, including Posada Doña Rosa and El Tao in the Andes, Campo Lindo in Falcón and Barquilla de Fresa at the foot of Sierra de Lema. All these lodges have now become a standard part of the itinerary of the major bird tour companies, largely as a result of Mary Lou’s efforts. The sections on Delta Amacuro and southern Venezuela (Amazonas and Bolívar) are much expanded (40 pages) with, for example, a useful kilometre-by-kilometre summary of the famous Escalera road over Sierra de Lema. There are also many more maps to make Mary Lou’s textual directions easier to follow: as editor Clemencia Rodner points out, previous editions have included directions based on the distance before a landmark that turnings should be followed. These problems have now all been ironed out and the routes are so clear and simple that even I can follow them—I know because I have just been birding some new sites in the Central Cordillera and Andes. Another feature are the expanded bird lists to accompany many of the better known sites, though of course it is still advisable to purchase an up-to-date checklist for the sites you are to visit from the Venezuelan Audubon Society. However, the single most striking difference to previous editions is the format. Thanks to support from Swarovski, the book now has a more attractive, up-market finish: ring-binding replaces stapling, the number of line-drawings has been increased and the cover painting—by resident artist Robin Restall—is a delight. Any complaints? Having bought practically the first copy on sale, and revelled in using it in the field, it would be insincere of me to find too much to fault. If I have to gripe, I would say that some of the maps have been reproduced on too small a scale, but I am informed by the publishers that the first print run has been recalled and this fault—apparently a misunderstanding at the printers—has now been corrected. On the contrary, I cannot but thoroughly recommend this book to anyone thinking of visiting Venezuela. It is invaluable for trip preparation and will lie in your backpack alongside A guide to the birds of Venezuela as a well-thumbed field reference. It will not only direct you to the best known sites, some of these still little-known to foreign birders, but will also steer you clear of the more unsavoury places. At around $21 it is an absolute bargain, particulary as you can rest assured that the profits are being ploughed back into bird conservation by the Venezuelan Audubon Society. Even if you are not thinking of Venezuela as your next destination, buy this little book, and I guarantee you will be tempted. So, where can it be purchased? Birding in Venezuela is normally available from Subbuteo Books and the Natural History Book Service in the UK, and the ABA Bookstore or Los Angeles Audubon Society in the USA, or you can pick it up in Caracas at the Venezuelan Audubon Society Bookshop (tel. [02] 9932525). Christopher J. Sharpe

Atlas of breeding birds of the Falkland Islands by Robin W.& Anne Woods, 1997. Oswestry, UK: Anthony Nelson. 190 pp, 69 maps, 71 line drawings, £25.

This book treats all species recorded breeding on the Falkland Islands and presents the results of a multi-observer breeding atlas survey, based upon 10-km squares, during the decade 1983–93. Survey results are discussed in the context of a comprehensive review of the literature. The first two introductory sections describe the development and methodology of the Falkland Breeding Birds Survey and discuss the way records have been processed and generation of the (new) breeding population estimates which are an important feature of the book for conservation planners—the islands are of crucial significance for a small number of threatened species. The results of an analysis of survey data on selected broad environmental parameters: surface water, coastal fringe/inland habitats and uplands/lowlands are discussed and compared. The species accounts—very well designed and thoughtfully presented—discuss conservation status, requirements and related threats for relevant species. Strangely, these also treat several mere vagrants. While their appearence here might seem incongruous the opportunity that has been taken to summarise past records is useful and welcome: there is no other readily available source. Appendices treat the distribution of introduced mammals in some detail and grid squares from which survey results were exceptionally limited. While not essential for transient birders visiting the Falklands, for anyone staying for a longer spell with an interest in their ecology this book is an essential purchase. Rodney P. Martins

A Neotropical companion. An introduction to the , plants, and ecosystems of the New World tropics by John Kricher, second edition, 1997. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. 451 pp, 177 colour photographs, 86 line drawings. $29.95/£19.95.

This work, for anyone unfamiliar with it in its original (1989) guise, is an absolute mine of information on the ecology of the New World tropics, which deserves to be on every traveller-to-the-region’s bookshelf. If you don’t already own a copy, the chance to obtain it in a new, substantially revised and updated format is a bonus not to be missed. As Mark Plotkin so succinctly and rightly states in his foreword, “What Kricher has achieved is elegant in design and brilliant in execution: he has distilled the best information from all available sources on the natural history of the Neotropics into a highly readable and extremely educational book”. Certainly, it is absolutely packed with detail on just about every topic for which the ecotraveller could require information, as the individual chapter titles bear witness: ‘tropical climates and ecosystems’, ‘rainforest structure and diversity’, ‘how a rainforest functions’, ‘evolutionary patterns in the tropics’, complexities of coevolution and ecology of fruit’, ‘the neotropical pharmacy’, ‘living off the land in the tropics, ‘rivers through rainforest’, ‘introduction to the Andes and tepuis’, ‘savannas and dry forests’, ‘coastal ecosystems: mangroves, seagrass, and coral reefs’, ‘neotropical birds’, ‘a rainforest bestiary’ and ‘deforestation and conservation of biodiversity’. From my reading, no remarkable new insights are presented, but a most thorough compendium of existing information is promised and delivered. An appendix lists some do’s and dont’s, and provides the reader with innumerable cautionary tips on safety in the Neotropics (trail precautions, snakes, mosquitos, botflies, ants, urticating caterpillars, spiders, scorpions, chiggers, internal parasites—all these and others are well-covered). There is also a glossary, and lists of relevant field guides and handbooks, book-length references and other literature cited (the latter alone amounts to 32 pages of useful further reading). For hardcore birders, who may erroneously think that such a book is not for them, a dip into any chapter should prove them wrong. All are clearly and jauntily written, learned and knowledgable but not scholarly and highbrow; and most present much interesting and useful information on birds. Try, for instance, chapter four which discusses evolutionary patterns and find a clear exposition of many of the evolutionary processes which have shaped the Neotropics, using examples from tyrant-flycatchers, Manacus manakins, Mitu currasows and Cercomacra antbirds. You may decide that lack of space prevents you taking this invaluable guide along with you on visits to the New World tropics, but there is no excuse for not owning a copy. Guy M. Kirwan