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The Condor96566-512 0 The CooperOrnithological Society 1994 BOOK REVIEWS CHRISTOPHER W. THOMPSON, EDITOR GLOBAL ORNITHOLOGY selected images of birds doing interesting things and in striking natural settings. Handbook of the Birds of the World, Volume 1 (Os- HBW is based on a strong comparative and phylo- genetic approach, including helpful hierarchical dia- trich to Duck&-J. de1Hovo. A. Elliott, and J. Sargatal [eds.]. 1992. Barcelona:L$& Editions: 696 pp. ISBN grams of the subfamilial taxonomic structure.The ed- itors wisely chose a conservative course with respect 84-87334-10-5. to classification.They did not adopt the classification Let’s start this review with a simple, unabashed, of Sibley and Ahlquist (1990) and Sibley and Monroe “Wow!” This impressive first volume launchesa truly (1990), instead they startedwith the well-balanced sys- ambitious project-to detail the birds of the world in tem of Morony, Bock and Farrand (1975) with appro- 10 major volumes. Some of us, quite frankly, were priate updates. Throughout, however, HBW summa- skeptical about this new handbook, which had been rizes the DNA-based proposals in the appropriate cooking quietly for a decade and then came to public contexts. Provided also at the end of the Introduction attention in an aggressivemarketing campaignin 1992. is a helpful, tabular comparisonofthe Sibley and Mon- None of us was prepared for such a wonderful book. roe classificationwith the traditional arrangement. It has no real peer. Following the overview of the family are terse, tele- Lynx Publications, the publishers of Handbook of graphicindividual speciesaccounts (in very small type), the Birds of the World (HBW), was formed in 1987 organized by genus,and including topics that parallel with the financial backing of lawyer patron Ram6n the preceding general text, e.g., nonscientific names, Mascort. After several smaller publishing projects,the taxonomy, distribution, descriptivenotes, habitat, food new publishing company reorganizedto take on their dream project. Their statedgoal for HBW is to provide and feeding, breeding, movements, statusand conser- vation, and bibliography. Each speciesprofile includes an extensive referencework that demonstratesthe ex- traordinary diversity of birds with comprehensive a color-coded map of its global distribution. Interlaced among the species profiles are full size color plates worldwide coverage from a genuinely international depicting each and every speciesand, in some cases, point of view. A secondprimary goal is to contribute distinctive subspeciesor color morphs. to the conservation of birds and their habitats by at- tempting for the first time, in partnership with ICBP, Volume 1 concludes with a massive bibliography and a taxonomic index. to analyze the conservation status of all species,not just the endangeredor threatened ones. The three pri- My overall impression, and I believe I am not alone here, is that this is a sensationalbook, with rather few mary editors assembled one team of authors and re- shortcomings.Among the highlights are its rich, de- searchersand a secondteam of artists led by Francese tailed text, its first rate photographs, and its expert Jutglarand producedthe first volume in roughly three conservation sections. yearstime, if I correctly understandthe editor’s review The text, whether an overview of each family or a of HBW’s genesis. capsule of information on each species, is accurate, Volume 1 of HBW startswith an introduction to the comprehensive,and current, an amazing accomplish- International Council for Bird Preservation (now Bird ment given that the editors and authors are not inter- Life, International), a global bird conservation orga- nationally renowned ornithologists.They are now! The nization whose significant contributions appear book was extremely well-edited in terms of both sub- throughout the text. Then follows a 39-page introduc- stanceand technical copy. The text is amazingly clean tion to the ClassAves, a succinct,comprehensive, and and accurate,and the coverage of obscurereferences, nicely illustrated mini-course in ornithology. I should including some of my own waifs, is inspiring. I, myself, say little more becausemy own textbook was appar- am not an authority on any of the groups of birds ently an important (acknowledged)source for this sec- treated in Volume 1, nor do I have Ken Parkes’ eagle tion. eye for factual error. I could not, however, find any The body of HBW is organized taxonomically with strong summaries of the biology of each bird family, seriouserrors of omission, commission or typography in the sectionsfor which I knew a modest amount. starting with a boxed summary of its characteristics and composition plus a map of its global distribution. The stunning photographs make up perhaps the A clever graphic conveys the approximate maximum richest collection of high quality, informative images and minimum sizes of the component speciesrelative of birds in their natural habitats that I have ever seen. to an outline of a human (for little birds just the man- The technical and artistic qualities of the photographs nequin’s lower legs!).The body of the text is organized are first rate. Equally impressive is the number of really into sections on systematics, morphological aspects, rare species,such as the Zig Zag Heron and Brazilian habitat, generalhabits, voice, food and feeding, breed- Merganser that are fully portrayed, some for the first ing, movements, relationship with man, status and time. Beyond debuts, however, are the information- conservation, and general bibliography. Generously rich contents of the photographs, which are accom- gracing the family presentations are stunning photo- panied by legendsthat teach you something and that graphsof many species,not just portraits, but carefully cleverly complement the text itself. Among my favor- BOOK REVIEWS 561 ites are the photographsof a Mottled Petrel climbing FRANK B. GILL, The Academy of Natural Sciences, a tree to launch itself (p. 220) an ice-caked Antarctic Philadelphia, PA 19103. Petrel chick sitting in its exposed nest (p. 221) and a bloody, red-headed Giant Petrel displaying at a seal LITERATURE CITED carcass(p. 225). MORONY,J. J., W. J. BOCK,AND J. FARRAND. 1975. The conservation sections, contributed particularly Reference list of the birds of the world. American by Nigel Collar of ICBP, are a third highlight of the Museum of Natural History, New York. text. These achieve a truly international and global SIBLEY,C. G., ANDJ. E. AHLQUIST. 1990. Phylogeny perspective on each species’ status. When all ten vol- and classificationof birds: a study in molecular umes of NBW are done, the original goals of ICBP’s evolution. Yale Univ. Press, New Haven CT. Red Data Book, conservation through sound omitho- SIBLEY,C. G., AND B. L. MONROE,JR. 1990. Distri- logical knowledge,will be achieved gloriouslyat a new bution and taxonomy of birds of the world. Yale level. Univ. Press, New Haven CT. Those are only some of the highlights. The short- comingsare minor ones;one must stretchto find much to criticize. For me, the greatest shortcoming centers on the reference system designed by the practical- minded publishers. No specific citations are listed in PELECANIFORM BIOLOGY the text itself. Instead there are terminal referencelists called “Bibliographies,” for each family and each spe- Cormorants, Darters, and Pelicans of the World.- cies. It is almost impossible to relate the specific text Paul A. Johnsnard.1993. SmithsonianInstitution Press. contents to a particular source. One must review the Washington,DC. and London. xiv + 445 pp., 3 1 color variouspublications in the bibliographyand then check plates, 119 figures, 34 tables, 3 appendices. ISBN them to determine whether they pertain to an issueat 1-56098-216-O. Cloth $49.00. hand. But to do that, or anything else, one must first The research of a specialist in any group of birds relate an author and date citation in the terminal text should theoretically be aided by the appearanceof a bibliographies to the entry in the main Bibliography monograph covering that group, as all the important at the end of the book. Also, all reference material is information and literature on that group should then in tiny type. At best, the referencing system used is a be neatly summarized at one’s fingertips, and gaps in clumsy one that reduces the potential working value knowledge should become obvious so that future re- of HBW. searchefforts can be efficiently directed. Ideally, a good A second shortcominglies in the identification sys- monograph would also provide the best available il- tem for the color plates. As with the bibliographies, lustrationsand identification aids for all of the species the editors have chosen an unfortunately clumsy and it covers. This monograph falls short of these goals,as unfriendly referencingsystem in an otherwise well-de- it doesnot adequatelycover the literature;the literature signedbook. Each speciesdepicted on a color plate has that is cited is often misinterpreted; and much of the a number, but there is no correspondinglegend for the illustrative material is inadequate or misleading. plate. Instead the speciesnumber on the plate connects In the preface, the author indicates that at the in- to its number in the speciesaccounts. Sometimes, the ception of the work for this book he had been actively identification stands out easily on the opposite page, seekinga “book project,” which is reflectedin the level but often one must leaf through many pagesto find a of care and interest obviously given the preparation of corresponding species account with a species name. this book. As rationale for excluding the frigatebirds This problem becomesworse with increasingsize of a and tropicbirds, “. the other heretofore unmono- taxon and will become a nightmare in the treatment graphed pelecaniform families . ,” the author pro- of the passerines. vides the contradictoryexplanations that it would have In conclusion,Volume 1 of HBW is an overwhelm- taken too long and the literature on them is too scanty. ing, impressive reference on ten orders of the birds of This book follows basicallythe same formula asJohns- the world.