Reviews known in the French bird- extreme rarities, by up to three INVENTAIRE DES watching community, and are distribution maps. About two- OISEAUX DE FRANCE largely responsible for the estab- thirds of a page is devoted to By Philippe J. Dubois, Pierre lishment of the magazine each species, and rarities get le Maréchal, Georges Olioso Ornithos. their fair share, reflecting their & Pierre Yésou.Nathan, The book summarises the interest to birdwatchers. Well- Paris, 2000. 400 pages; ornithological data amassed in studied species, e.g. Lesser numerous line- France since the publication of Kestrel Falco naumanni or drawings, histograms, and the previous detailed checklist, Herring Gull Larus argentatus, distribution maps. by Noël Mayaud in 1936, in the occupy a whole page or more. ISBN 2-09-260674-3. magazine Alauda. As such, it In such a monumental work, Hardback, £68.00. includes the results of two atlas which is not cheap, but which is surveys of breeding birds and excellent value for money, a few This large-format, copiously illus- one of wintering birds. blunders and omissions are trated and well-produced book is For each species, the text dis- inevitably found, but the total wholly in French, but, of course, cusses systematics; general status result is highly impressive. You the scientific names are given for and habitat; the annual cycle; will find a wealth of information each species. Two useful intro- breeding and wintering ranges; here on a national avifauna ductory texts cover, respectively, and population trends. The last which is still rich and varied. the history of ornithology in topic is discussed in some depth Appealing to birdwatchers of all France, by Roger Cruon, and the wherever possible, giving details persuasions, this book is essen- evolution and history of the of the present breeding or win- tial if France is a potential French avifauna, by Jacques tering distribution, and whether holiday destination. The maps Blondel. The bulk of the volume numbers are declining, stable or and histograms are self-explana- consists of individual accounts of increasing. Each account is tory, and the readable text pro- the 512 species on the French accompanied by a colour illustra- vides an excellent opportunity to List up to 1999, nearly 400 of tion, sometimes by a histogram brush up your French! which are regular visitors. The showing monthly or yearly four main authors are well occurrence, and, except for Norbert Lefranc probably applaud and assume almost 1,000 pages, is more than THE BIRDS OF ECUADOR that this means that the plates 5 cm thick, and weighs in at By Robert S. Ridgely & are in one volume, for use in the more than 1.5 kg, which is Paul J. Greenfield. field, while the text and maps hardly convenient. Volume 1, Christopher Helm, are in the other, for reference. which is only slightly slimmer, A & C Black, London, 2001. Sadly,this is not the case.Volume contains lengthy introductory Volume 1: Status, 2, the ‘field guide’, contains not chapters and detailed accounts Distribution and Taxonomy; only the plates but also distribu- for each species, covering status, 848 pages. tion maps, identification texts, distribution, taxonomy, races ISBN 0-7136-6116-X. and sections on habits and voice and world range. So, after Volume 2:A Field Guide; for each species. This runs to repeated requests over many 748 pages, 96 colour plates years, from birders and authors and 1,596 maps. alike, that publishers of field ISBN 0-7136-6117-8. guides which cover large avi- Paperback, £80.00 for both faunas produce these in two volumes (or £40.00 for Vol. 1 parts, so that we can have the and £55.00 for Vol. 2 when plates separate and portable, we bought individually). are still not getting there. This summer, in western Brazil, I have already seen the plates from one The long, long wait is over! After copy of volume 2 carefully more than a decade of hearing sliced out and spiral-bound, and that a field guide to the birds of being used as a true ‘field guide’. Ecuador was in preparation, it Publishers should get the has finally been published. On message and do this for us. learning that the work comes in Turning to the contents, two volumes, most people will most users will probably look at © British Birds 94: 609-611, December 2001 609 Reviews the plates first. Neotropical afi- follows. Common vocalisations for each species, which outline cionados have perhaps been are described under ‘Voice’, status and distribution in consid- spoilt by Guy Tudor’s superb while the distribution maps are erable detail, together with many plates in The Birds of South clearly reproduced and easy to references. Where relevant, there America, and may be a little dis- use. is a discussion of subspecies, tax- appointed initially (as I was) by Volume 1 contains some very onomic treatment, alternative Greenfield’s paintings. Having interesting introductory chap- English names, and, finally, a brief used them as my main reference ters, including ‘Geography, description of the world range. for a recent four-week trip to Climate and Vegetation’, ‘Bird For obvious reasons, this volume northern Peru (90% of the birds Migration in Ecuador’, ‘Ecuado- will be of interest primarily to which we saw there are included rian Ornithology’, ‘Endemic Bird those studying the birds of in the Ecuador guide), I must, Areas’, and ‘Conservation’. The Ecuador, though the taxonomic however, admit that I ended up authors have not followed the comments will be of relevance full of admiration for them. ‘new’ Sibley & Monroe order, nor to those using the book in adja- Plumage details are portrayed adopted the Phylogenetic cent countries as well. accurately and they can be relied Species Concept, but have been In summary, The Birds of upon for identification purposes. influenced by ‘population-level Ecuador is not quite what I had They are well designed, with differences’ and have ‘split’ a expected, but it is undoubtedly a little wasted space, yet avoid number of species as a conse- first-class and scholarly work that looking cluttered, and many are quence. Birders who have visited provides a wealth of detailed aesthetically pleasing. Ecuador in the past can, there- information not only about the As might be expected from fore, expect some ‘armchair birds to be seen in Ecuador, but such experienced authors, the ticks’: for example,Tumbes Swift also on more than half of the field-guide text is excellent.After Chaetura ocypetes is now split species found in the whole of measurements, and a brief state- from Short-tailed Swift C. South America. It will prove ment on habitat and distribution, brachyura, and Ecuadorian invaluable both in Ecuador and details are given of plumages and Trogon Trogon mesurus is split in adjacent countries, and can be other identification characters. A from Black-tailed Trogon T. mela- thoroughly recommended. section which draws comparison nurus.The bulk of this volume is with the likely confusion species taken up with the main accounts David Fisher Islands. Volume 2 is a set of 11 unlikely to be heard in North AFRICAN BIRD SOUNDS CDs comprising a further 1,043 Africa. There are no announce- Vol. 1: North Africa and species from West and Central ments on the CDs, so that refer- Atlantic Islands (Sahara, Africa. ence to the accompanying Maghreb, Madeira, Canary Vocalisations of many booklets is essential, and partic- Islands and Cape-Verde).Vol. Western Palearctic species are ular care must be taken over the 2:West and Central Africa. published here for the first time, track numbers, especially when By Claude Chappuis. Société including those of Barbary there is more than one cut of a d’Etudes Ornithologiques de Falcon Falco pelegrinoides, species on a particular track. France, in collaboration with Slender-billed Curlew Nume- The booklet accompanying the British Library National nius tenuirostris, Trocaz Pigeon Volume 1 includes an introduc- Sound Archive, Paris, 2001. Columba trocaz, Laurel Pigeon tory section in French and 15 CDs.Vol. 1 £36.00, C. junoniae, Raso Lark Alauda English, followed by the list of Vol. 2 £75.00; both volumes razae, Berthelot’s Pipit Anthus species and details of each combined £98.00. berthelotii, Canary Islands recording, including the locality, Stonechat Saxicola dacotiae, circumstances and recordist (in Cape Verde Warbler Acro- French). The booklet accompa- This remarkably comprehensive cephalus brevipennis and Blue nying Volume 2 is entirely in collection of bird sounds is Chaffinch Fringilla teydea. English, and also covers all the divided into two companion Volume 2 also includes the first species from Volume 1. The volumes. The first comprises published recordings for a great introductory section is concise four CDs covering the vocalisa- many Afrotropical species. For but thorough, and includes tions of 423 species from the the sake of completeness, most instructions on how to find each Western Palearctic region of vagrants to the region are species on the CDs. This is best North Africa, including the included, with the result that achieved by using the index, Sahara, Maghreb (Morocco- three species of diver Gavia and which gives each species an Tunisia), the Canary Islands, four species of auk (Alcidae) are individual number. There is a Madeira and the Cape Verde included, although they are thoughtful reminder that play- 610 British Birds 94: 609-611, December 2001 Reviews back can be prejudicial to birds recorded in Malawi and a song well produced, and the two and that a cautious approach flight recorded in Kenya. The volumes are packaged attrac- should be used, particularly with African forms of Richard’s Pipit tively. Claude Chappuis and his endangered species. Nomencla- are often regarded as a separate 136 collaborators are to be con- ture and sequence are based on species, A.