BOOK REVIEWS

(1945). Listingsubspecies and their distributionswould have increasedthe valueof Sonoragreatly, although ! recognizethat thisundertaking is far easiersaid than done. More synthesisof informationon topicssuch as local and elevational migrations or breedingseasons also would have increased the usefulnessof Sonora.Simple lists of the avifaunaby bioregionand by status(resident breeder, summer resident, transient, etc.)could have served to highlightgaps in our knowledge,perhaps prompting future studies. The book has an attractivelayout that may suggestanother University of Arizona Pressclassic, The of Arizona by Allan Phillips,Joe Marshall, and Monson (1964). Sonorais large(almost 9 x 12 inches)and library oriented, with liberaluse of pagespace. While thismay be a designer'sdream, the sameinformation could have beenconveyed easily in a workhalf the size(and half the price!),and I wouldprefer a more compactand affordablebook that couldbe carriedeasily in the field,where it wouldbe invaluable.Instead, the book looksso "nice" that ! suspectmany will be reluctantto carry it even in the car! Typographicalerrors seem rare but not absent; e.g., the text listsfour recordsof the Long-earedOwl whilethe map plotsfive. Thesepoints notwithstanding, ! recommend strongly The Birds of Sonora as an importantaddition to our knowledgeof the status,distribution, and natural history of Mexicanbirds, and ! lookforward to the daywhen similar works exist for manymore Mexican states.

Steve N. G. Howell

Parrots: A Guide to of the World, by Tony Juniper and Mike Parr. 1998. Yale Univ. Press,New Haven, CT. 584 pp., 88 colorplates, numerous black- and-whitedrawings, about 350 maps.Hardback, $55.00. ISBN0-300-07453-0. This volumein the "Helm" series(published in the U.K. by PicaPress) might seem of littledirect relevance to NorthAmerican field ornithology, but bear in mindthat 63 speciesof parrothave been recorded free-flying in Florida(Stevenson and Anderson, 1994, The Birdlife of Florida), 33 in California(Garrett, 1997, W. Birds 28:181- 195). A few speciesmaintain large populationsin California,south Florida, and southernmostTexas, and 17 speciesoccur naturally in Mexiconorth of the isthmus. Althoughparrot identificationis well treatedin many regionalfield guides,we find ourselvesin a uniquesituation in the UnitedStates. Free-flying parrots and established naturalizedpopulations might be derived from any of five continents;therefore regionalguides do not treat all our speciesor giveappropriate comparisons. Juniper andParr provide the sortof guidethat U.S. -watchershave needed. At 7 x 9.75 inchesit ishefty but microscopic in comparisonto the othercomprehensive treatment of the world's parrots, Parrots of the World by Forshawand Cooper. Other advantagesover Forshaw's monograph (1989) includea databasethat is severalyears more up to date, a substantiallylower price, and greateremphasis on fieldidentifica- tion, with more plumage variationsshown. Portabilityand affordabilityare also advantagesover the Handbook of the Birds of the World, vol. 4 (delHoyo et al., 1997), whichhas a thoroughand beautifullyillustrated treatment of parrots. The familiar format of this series needs little elaboration. Parrots has a slim introductorysection, nearly half of whichis devotedto conservationissues, befitting this beleagueredgroup and reflectingthe impressiveconservation credentials of the two authors.There are alsofour pageson systematics,five on naturalhistory, and three describingthe layout of the speciesaccounts and parrot topography.The speciesaccounts include sections on identification(a brief descriptionand discussion of similarspecies), voice, distribution and status(conservation issues are treatedin this section,underscoring the doublethreats parrots face from habitatdegradation and trappingfor the pet trade),ecology (with notes on habitat,foraging ecology, behavior,

126 BOOK REVIEWS andreproductive biology), detailed description, sex/age, measurements (ranges only, mainlyfrom Forshaw,with sexespooled and no samplesize given), geographical variation(and often additionalnotes on taxonomicstatus), and references(listed at the endof eachaccount, without specific citations within the text).A rangemap for each speciesthankfully shows national boundaries. English names used for parrotsare maddeninglyinconsistent, often reflectinga schismbetween scientific systematic works and the aviculturalliterature. Juniper and Parr's names do not accordwith those of the AOU (for example, they use "Green-cheekedAmazon" for Arnazona viridigenalis,which the AOU callsthe "Red-crownedParrot"), and the authorsdo not cite the authoritiesfollowed for their Englishnames. The 88 plateswere paintedby five artistsand vary greatlyin quality,from quite good (especiallythose by Kim Franklin, who painted nearly half the plates)to some that are rather poor and obviouslypainted without reference to museumspecimens. I was disappointedthat the introductorysections lack a diagnosisof the various groups(e.g., genera), summarizing their commonfield characteristics. Nowhere, for example,is there a discussionof flightdifferences among such genera as Aratinga, Pyrrhura, and Brotogeris,even though some text accountswithin those genera accuratelydescribe flight. In Los Angeles,where bothAratinga and Brotogerisare common,the latteris easilypicked out by the frequentbrief closingof its wings,as opposedto the more continuouswing-beating of Aratinga. Parrotsdoes not describe this;instead, the flightof the Canary-wingedParakeet (Brotogeris versicolurus sensu lato) is called an unhelpful"swift and direct." One can get the gist of the flight appearanceof Arnazona from many speciesaccounts, but there is no general statementabout this group's distinctive rapid shallow wingbeats on bowedwings that are not liftedabove the horizontal.On thissubject Whitney (1996, Cotinga5:32-42) is more usefulbecause of that author'sgeneric approach. The mapsare oftenat oddswith the rangedescriptions in the text;in mostcases it is the mapsthat are inaccurate.The map for MilitaryMacaw (Ara rnilitaris)in Mexico incorrectlyshows a distributionlargely confined to the centralplateau, and the Barred Parakeet (Bolborhynchus lineola) and "Yellow-cheekedAmazon" (-- Red-lored Parrot, Arnazona autumnalis)are shownas occurringnorth to the Texasborder! Distributionalinformation for naturalizedpopulations in the United Statesis incom- plete, thoughmuch of this can be forgivenas we stillstruggle to determinewhich populationsare well established.The authors considerthe Red-crownedParrot a "winter visitor in Brownsville,extreme south-westernTexas, USA." Brownsville's hardly being in southwesternTexas aside, these birds are common year-round residentsin severalsouth Texas urban areas; althoughthe possibilityof natural establishmentcannot be ruledout, it is odd that the naturalprovenance of thesebirds was not even questioned. Allopatricspecies such as the Red-crownedand Lilac-crowned(A. finschi)parrots are often compared, which is usefulto aviculturalistsand those who live in the "outdooraviaries" of the southernUnited States. However, these discussionsare sometimesrather superficial; for example,there is no mentionof the differencesin tail shape and pattern, cere color, and voice distinguishingthese two parrots. The differencesbetween the White-winged(Brotogeris versicolurus sensu stricto) and Yellow-chevroned(B. chiriri) parakeets(now splitby the AOU) are poorlytreated in the combinedCanary-winged Parakeet account. The color plate doesn'thelp mat- ters-it is amongthe worstin the book.The distinctivebody colors are reversed(the Yellow-chevronedshould be the more yellow-green),bill colorsare incorrect,the greaterprimary coverts are shownas yellow(they are mainlygreen in both species), and all figures are "anatomicallychallenged," to say the least, in their folded secondariesand greater secondarycoverts, as well as the numberof primaries. Anatomicaloddities extend to the parrotletsand some lorikeetsand macaws, but many difficultgroups (such as the Pyrrhura parakeets)appear to be handledwell.

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Parrotsbrings together more identification information in a singlevolume than has previouslybeen available for thisfascinating group. It willbe especiallyuseful to those who travelto parrot-richregions currently lacking good field guides(e.g., much of SouthAmerica), as well as thosewho live in partsof California,Florida, and Texas. The book's shortcomingspresumably reflect a haste to bring it into print in the competitiveworld of identificationguides; many could have been rectified by stronger regionalreview and greateruse of museumspecimens by someof the artists.North Americanswho are not parrotaficionados and do not planto travelto areasof high parrot diversityshould be aware that the identificationof naturalizedparrot popula- tionsin North America will be made easierby greatlyexpanded coverage in the 3rd editionof the NationalGeographic Society field guide and in DavidSibley's forthcom- ing North Americanidentification guide. Kimball L. Garrett

Shrikes: A Guide to the of the World, by Norbert Lefranc,illustrated by Tim Worfolk. 1997. Yale Univ. Press,New Haven, CT. 192 pages, 16 color plates,75 black-and-whitefigures. Hardback, $35.00. ISBN 0-300-07336-4. Shrikes followsthe familiar format of the Pica/Yale family guides,with brief introductorysections (discussing and an overviewof generacovered), color plateswith shortfacing-page texts, and speciesaccounts (which include range maps). Despite its title, this book coversonly 31 of the world's 75+ species(the principalomission is the bush-shrikes,subfamily Malaconotinae). The authorsuggests that the three genera covered(, Corvinella, Eurocephalus)are the "true shrikes,"but this classification,based on DNA-hybridizationstudies, is ratherweak, and thisbook cannotclaim to be a comprehensivemonograph of the shrikes. In general,the text is informative,but there is lessemphasis on identificationthan most readerswould probably expect, and I foundthe taxonomicapproach frustrat- ingly inconsistent.One recentlyproposed split is followed,the separationof the SouthernGray Shrike(L. meridionalis)from the Great Grey (-- Northern)Shrike (L. excubitor),while the Red-tailedShrike (L. phoenicuroides)is left within isabellinus, despitepublished evidence for itsspecific status (partly from the sameresearcher who suggestedthe meridionalissplit!), evidence that evenLefranc admits should "be taken seriously"(p. 14). For the subspecifictaxonomy of the NorthernShrike, only weak justificationis givenfor ignoringthe conclusionof Phillips(1986; The Known Birds of North and Middle America, part 1) that invictusshould be synonymizedwith borealis,suggesting the authormay not appreciatevariation in nearcticpopulations. While the of North America shows affinities with the eastern palearcticsibiricus, the text stressessimilarities, omits some significantdifferences (e.g.,the patternof the outerrectrix), and makes no mentionof the possibilitythat the Northern Shrike may be a distinctspecies (as has been suggestedrecently for a numberof trans-Beringianavian taxa). The plates are good if somewhat"flat," but too few non-adultplumages are illustrated,especially where they would be mostvaluable for identification(e.g., in the cristatus-collurio-isabellinuscomplex). The distributionmaps are excellentfor palearctictaxa but markedly less detailed for afrotropicalspecies and the . This bookpartially fills an obviousniche in the ornithologicalliterature and will be requiredreading for shrikeenthusiasts, but it doeslittle to dispelsuspicion that many avianmonographs are increasinglyEurocentric and of decreasingvalue in termsof species(and content)per dollar. Jon R. King

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