Reviews EDITED by ROBERT M
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IL Reviews EDITED BY ROBERT M. ZINK Thefollowing critiques express the opinions of theindividual evaluators regarding the strengths, weaknesses,and value of thebooks they review. As such, the appraisals are subjective assessments anddo not necessarilyreflect the opinionsof the editorsor any officialpolicy of theAmerican Ornithologists'Union. The Auk 114(1):147-152, 1997 The Birds of South America, Volume II. The Sub- Birdsof Africa,Birds of the WesternPalearctic, and Hand- oscinePasserines.-Robert $. Ridgelyand Guy Tu- bookof Australia, New Zealand, and Antarctic Birds. How- dor. 1994. University of Texas Press.Austin, Texas. ever, BSA containsnone of the data on the general xii + 814 pp., 1,043maps, 52 colorplates. ISBN 0-292- biologyof Neotropicalbirds that the worksfrom oth- 77063-4.Cloth, $85.00.--Althoughmany visitorsto er continentsinclude. For example,species accounts the Neotropicsare captivatedby its gaudytanagers, in Birdsof Africahave sectionson food, breedingbe- hummingbirds, motmots,and toucans,it is the sub- havior, nests,eggs, laying dates,incubation, devel- oscinebirds that define the region for hardcoreNeo- opment of young, parental care, breeding success, tropicalfield people.Thus, volume 2 treatswhat some mortality,measurements, body mass,and type local- would considerthe soul of the Neotropicalavifauna, ity. This informationis not includedin BSA,yet, most namely the woodcreepers,ovenbirds, antbirds, ta- would considerinclusion of thesecategories as oblig- paculos,tyrannids, manakins, and cotingas.This vol- atory to be classified as a general reference work. ume is dedicatedto the memoriesof Eugene Eisen- Thus,many ornithologists will be disappointedin the mann and Ted Parker. narrow range of topicscovered (essentially only the The introductorysections contain the usualpref- sameshort list of topicsin a field guide), especially atory material--a guide to using the book, a list of given the volume'sponderous size. Even the simple speciesconsidered migratory, and a 13-page section entry "no data" for a topic would have highlighted on conservationthat briefly outlinesthe plights of 83 gapsin knowledge. In particular, BSAmissed the op- speciesof suboscines.The heart of the volume is its portunity to fill the biggest void in the literature in 52 color platesby Tudor and 758 pagesof species Neotropicalornithology, namely, whether a nest has accounts.Each account contains four topics:"Descrip- beendescribed for eachspecies. The field-guidephe- tion," "Similar Species,""Habitat and Behavior,"and notypecontinues in the arrangementof specieswith- "Range,"plus a range map. Someaccounts also are in manyfamilies into look-alikerather than taxonom- followed by noteson specieslimits and rationalefor ic groupsand the insertion of occasionalbird-finding new Englishnames. No Spanish,Portuguese, or French information(e.g. "can be found near the public pool names are included, and I support the authors' de- at BrasiliaNat. Park" for Philydordimidiatus). Another cision not to standardizethese becausethis thorny disappointmentto many ornithologistswill be the topic should not be the job of thosewhose first lan- skimpybibliography of only approximately245 titles guageis English.Families and generaare introduced (versusroughly 1,500in Fry et al. [1988],which covers by usefulparagraphs summarizing their naturalhis- only 400 species).The small bibliographyis partly a tory. consequenceof the few topicscovered, the relatively My major problem with this book (hereafter BSA) smallbody of literatureon Neotropicalbirds, and the is that it has the veneer of a reference volume for partial citation of many papersomitted from the bib- ornithologistsbut the content of a field guide for liography (a topic further developedbelow), but it is birdwatchers.In trying to fill both niches,it cannot also partly the consequenceof unambitiousscholar- succeed. ship(see below). For example, Hilty andBrown's (1986) First, let's consider BSA as a reference work. Al- A Guideto the Birdsof Colombiacontains almost 700 thoughthe authorsmake no pretenseof producinga referencesdespite being "just" a field guide, and it comprehensivereference, the book'sphenotype nev- coversa comparablerange of topicsover a more lim- erthelessinvites comparisonsto such volumes from ited geographic area. other regions.Its dimensions,even larger than vol- Although BSA's target audience might be bird- ume 1, are similar to other referenceworks, e.g. The watchers,it is definitely not a field guide, not only 147 148 Reviews [Auk,Vol. 114 becauseits weight and large dimensionslimit dras- of many species,some of which are describedas "un- tically its use in the field, but alsobecause only two- known in life" (e.g. Cranioleucamuelleri and Thripo- thirds of the speciesare illustrated.The contrastbe- phagacherriei). tween BSA and Hilty and Brown, the best field guide Even as a natural history compilation, however, for anywhere in SouthAmerica, is striking. BSAtreats BSA has defects. Foremost is the erratic nature of the 1,047species, and Hilty and Brown treat 1,695species; literature citations.Although many observationsin both use Tudor's gorgeousillustrations. Whereas 706 the speciesaccounts are referenced,especially in the species(68%) are illustrated in BSA, roughly 1,440 small-print "Notes" section,a substantialportion is (85%)are illustratedin Hilty and Brown.In addition, not. Take,for example,the firstspecies account in the virtually all of the speciesnot illustratedby BSAare text, Geobatespoecilopterus. The species'sudden ap- residents,whereas those not illustratedby Hilty and pearanceat, and possiblereliance on, recent burns Brown are mostly widespread waterbirds and mi- are noted.Neither the observationnor the hypothesis grantsfrom North America for which the absenceof is referenced, and so the reader assumes that both are illustrationsis of minimal importance.Whereas BSA original. However, a paper (Bateset al. 1992) in the weighs2.3 kg (5 lbs), Hilty and Brownweighs 1.5 kg "References" section contains both the observation (3.2 lbs) and can actually fit in field gear. and the hypothesis.(Additionally, BSA'sdescription So, the obviousquestion is, why is BSA so big yet of the display flight omitted potentially important deliver so little? Part of the answer,as noted by Ro- details reported by Bateset al.) Dozens of examples senberg(1995), lies in the relatively large print, gen- exist of information presented in the text without erousspacing between lines, and space-wastingfor- direct referencing.If future volumesof BSAare to be mat. The width of the between-margin sectionof each taken as serious scientific works, then I recommend pageis 14.5 cm, but only 10 cm (69%)is occupiedby that citations be provided for all information in the text. In addition, the left-most 4.5 cm is reserved for "Habitat and Behavior" section and for all new dis- range maps,of which there usually are only one or tribution information. I also recommend that all ref- two per page.Thus, large expansesof blank areasare erences should be full citations in the References sec- left on eachpage, in somecases the entire left-most tion rather than abbreviated citations in the text for third. Wiser formatting,such as wrapping text around those referencesused just once or twice (this would maps, probably could have reduced the number of help alleviatethe conspicuousskimpiness of that sec- pagesby 50%or more, at substantialcost savings. tion). If neither a referencework nor a field guide,what More seriousare the casesin which the appropriate is BSA?It is a compilation,but not a synthesis,of referenceis not cited at all, as noted by Rosenberg natural-historyinformation that anyoneinterested in (1995). For Siptornisstriaticollis, BSA's text on "Habitat South American birds will find indispensable.A more and Behavior"seems to paraphrasethe only paper accurate title for BSA would have been "Identifica- ever publishedon thesetopics (Eley et al. 1979),but tion, Natural History, and Distribution of the Birds the paper is not cited. The vocal descriptionof the of South America." For the families treated so far, it speciesis referenced to "J. W. Eley," without citing providesthe only up-to-datesummary of natural his- the paper in which it was described.The similarity tory for South American species.The plumage de- in foragingbetween Cinclodes nigrofumosus and certain scriptionsand distributions,with range maps, are shorebirdsnoted by BSAhad been studiedby several vastly superior to thoseof BSA'spredecessor, Meyer authors (see Atkins [1980] and references therein), de Schauensee(1970). BSA also provides the latest none of whom are credited.Likewise, the similarity updates on the many taxonomic changesin South in foraging behavior between Pygarrhichasalbogularis American birds, especiallyat the specieslevel. For and Sittanoted by BSA was discussedat length by example, roughly 67 taxa treated as subspeciesby Short (1969), but Short is not credited. Under Knipo- Meyer de Schauensee(1970) or Traylot (1979)are el- legusaterrimus, BSA states that "The very isolatedBra- evatedto speciesrank by BSA,and 12 other taxatreat- zilian population(franciscanus) may warrant full spe- ed as speciesby thesesame authors are demotedto ciesstatus." Silva and Oren (1992) wrote a paper on subspecies.Thirteen new speciesdescribed since 1979 preciselythis, but they are not credited.The remark- also are included. Roughly 20 speciesare placedin able convergencebetween Knipoleguslophotes and different genera than they were by Meyer de Phainopeplanitens