38-42 OB Vol13#1 Apr1995.Pdf

38 Book Reviews Kingfishers, Bee-eaters, and Rollers: A Handbook. 1992. By C. Hilary Fry and Kathie Fry, illustrated by Alan Harris. Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey. Hardcover, 324 pages, 40 coloured plates plus line drawings and 114 range maps. $49.50 U.S. This book is another in the authoritative - which is to be Identification Guide Series of expected since Hilary Fry has been comprehensive monographs including publishing on all three groups since Seabirds, Shorebirds, Waterfowl, the 1960s - and pleasingly well Swallows and Martins, Finches and written. The authors draw on the Sparrows, and Warblers published works of others whenever variously by Princeton University appropriate Iparticularly a huge, Press and Houghton Mifflin. The privately published monograph on present volume covers the world's 12 kingfishers by J. Forshaw) but their rollers ICoraciidae), 24 bee-eaters vast personal experience with these IMeropidae), and 87 kingfishers. The birds is also captivatingly evident latter, following Sibley and Ahlquist, throughout these overviews. are considered here to be comprised The same flavour is carried over of-three separate families: the into the individual species accounts. Dacelonidae 156 species of Each bird is usually discussed under kookaburras and halcyon kingfishers the general headings of Field centred in Australasia and the far Identification, Voice, Geographical east), the Alcedinidae 122 small blue Variation, Habitat and Range, Food, and rufous species mainly found in Habits lincluding Nesting and Laying the African and Oriental tropics), and Months), Description, and References the Cerylidae Ithe 9-member, largely but Fry and Fry don't hesitate to American green and giant kingfisher expand their treatments when they . group which includes our Belted see fit to include extra knowledge, Kingfisher). special insights, interesting anecdotes, The book begins with a concise or unanswered questions about a overview of current ideas on the particular species. taxonomic status of the five families The species accounts are plus that of the remaining, otherwise enhanced here and there with line untreated groups Imotmots, todies, drawings that illustrate v ious ground-rollers, and Cuckoo-roller) in displays, postures or fine points of the order Coraciiformes. Succeeding identification but it is the coloured chapters deal with the food and plates near the front of the book that foraging of kingfishers, bee-eaters, make the greatest visual impact. and rollers, their nesting, social and Here, on page after page, are breeding behaviour, their distribution illustrated some of the world's most and derivation, and a short section on stunning birds Ithe Carmine Bee the precarious status of several island eater gets my vote as the most rarities. The treatments are beautiful bird on Earth). Since your ONTARIO BIRDS APRIL 1995 39 reviewer has seen only two rollers, illustrated for that species (i.e. two bee-eaters and seven kingfishers subspecies or age-specific plumage) - and most of them longer ago than appearing on the right of the range he cares, to tell you -I am hardly map. After that, if you can still qualified to comment on the fidelity remember what you are doing - not a of Alan Harris' paintings. The ones I facetious remark after going through know are very good but all I can say 5 or 6 plates of totally unfamiliar about the others is that, to me, they species - you will at la~t find out, look like convincingly real, live birds after four steps, that the pretty little and are truly beautiful. All 123 bee-eater on plate 33 marked 103f, species are shown in this book but so for example, is the subspecies many well-marked subspecies are cyanophrys of the Little Green Bee also illustrated that the 40 plates eater (Merops orientalisl. Then, if ypu include no fewer than 350 different care to go through the same four portraits. The Mangrove Kingfisher steps allover again, you can find out alone is given 17 different treatments what the bird beside it is. I found this in an attempt to capture the range of process so annoying that I took a plumages exhibited by the 50 (ll couple of hours to do in pencil what different races of this one species. the book designers should have done This last example may be the in type in the first place - namely most extreme case of island to island write the name of every bird beside variation shown in this book but it is its portrait, so that the four step far from the only one. Indeed, I learning process is reduced to a one found that Harris' depiction of so step process (x 350 illustrations = big many races, not to mention of so savings in time and exasperationI. At many other similar forms now judged the same time, because I often found to be full species, was as fine an it difficult to know/when looking at illustration as one could ever hope to many illustrations on a plate, where see of the power of geographic . the forms of one species stopped and those of a new, similar species began, isolation to produce new forms of I drew solid lines between the species life. <;:lusters and then, within such The same wealth of illustrations groupings, dashed lines between also leads, however, to-the one criticism I have of this book and of subspecies where appropriate. In a this series. Someqne decided that, way it was a shame to mark up such rather than identifying each bird right a beautiful book but that's what it beside its image, it would somehow took to Illake it user-friendly. • be better to put a number and letter Considering that just one of the combination there instead. The 123 species covered in this book reader can then look for the same occurs in Canada, and only six (all number above one of the range maps kingfishers) in the western on the facing page and thence to the hemisphere, many readers may English and Latin names of the choose to pass on this steeply priced species beside it. After that, you can book. Then again, if you want to look for the letter part of the explore vicariously incredible avian combination in a list of abbreviated riches of Africa or the Far East - or be Latin names of the different forms inspired to see them for yourself - VOLUME 13 NUMBER 1 40 then this book should be high on *The journal editors have pointed out your list. Let me leave you with the to me that at least one other title in following twitch-provoking passage ... this series, namely Shorebirds, has "Carmine Bee-eaters (the most plates that are so crowded that it beautiful bird in the world after all!) would be rather more difficult to put follow people, tractors and grazing in names beside all the illustrations. animals, catching insects disturbed from Even in this work, however, and the grass, and they have the engaging even if it meant using undersize type, habit ofriding on the back ofan it would still be preferable to name Ostrich, bustard, stork, Secretary- bird, each form beside the appropriate goat, camel, antelope, zebra or warthog, illustration. Any book or series calling dashing away every few moments to itself an "identification guide" should catch an insect put to flight, and help the reader to identify rather returning to incapacitate it by beating it than using a design that positively against the antelope's horns or the hinders that process. Ostrich's back. II Dan Strickland, R.R. 1, Dwight, Ontario POA 1HO. The Birds of Quetieo Park and the Atikokan Area. 1994. By David H. EIder, illustrated by Gisela Ewald. Friends of Quetico Park, P.O. Box 1959, Atikokan, Ontario, POT 1CO. Paperback. 247 + v pages, black and white photographs, line drawings, and location map. $14.75 + 8% PST (Ontario Residents) + $3.50 ship ping charges + 7% GST (Canadian Residents) or $2.50 (U.S. Residents). As a long-time collector of bird Thus, a reader with only elementary checklists and books that describe the birding skills is able to cope more status of species in various areas, easily with the task of identifying particularly Ontario, I was delighted common birds in any particular to acquire the latest regional bird habitat. Instead of looking through book of that sort. Elder's new book is the entire book for what birds might more than just an annotated be expected, one can quickly checklist, however. While it does eliminate the vast majority and focus have much of the detailed species-by on the twelve to thirty-two likely species information that appeals to species in any habitat which are dyed-in-the-wool bird listers, it also listed at the end of each habitat contains a great deal of basic description. behavioural information that More advanced birders, especially beginning birders or casual visitors to those who are visiting from out of the Quetico-Atikokan area who have province or from even farther afield, a passing interest in birds might find can turn to the checklist provided as useful. an appendix, where the status In particular, there are (common, uncommon, rare, or descriptions of nine habitat types in vagrant) of each species is provided. the area, within each of which the Whenever I travel to an unfamiliar variety of bird life is fairly limited. part of the continent, or to other ONTARIO BIRDS APRIL 1995 41 continents, a book like this one, Kingbirds, Black-billed Magpies, especially if it has range maps (which Mountain Bluebirds, Clay-colored most regional guides, including this Sparrows, Le Conte's Sparrows, one, do not have), is of great help to Western Meadowlarks, and Yellow me in determining what the common headed Blackbirds.

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