Birds of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands

| By: Herbert A Raffaele, Clive Petrovic, Sergio A Colón López, Lisa D Yntema & José A Salguero Faria | Illustrated by: Dale Dyer, Tracy Taylor, Kristin Williams, Cynthie Fisher, & Bart Rulon | Third Edition | Princeton UP | 2021 | Flexibound | 224 Pages | 87 colour plates | ISBN: 9780691211671 | £14.99p |

The Publisher’s View:

This portable and informative field guide describes the bird species found on Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Fully updated, Birds of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands presents all 347 species, both naturally occurring as well as introduced, and highlights 19 endemic species found nowhere else in the world. Species are sorted by habitat to facilitate identification and extra illustrations are provided for birds similar in appearance. Facing pages conveniently juxtapose species accounts, distribution maps, and illustrations, and a section on birding hotspots pinpoints the best locations for finding specific birds. Birds of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands will be indispensable for birders and nature enthusiasts.

The Authors: Herbert A. Raffaele is the author of many books, including Wildlife of the Caribbean and Birds of the West Indies. He is former chief of the Division of International Conservation at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Clive Petrovic is an environmental specialist with the Virgin Islands Recovery and Development Agency of the British Virgin Islands. Sergio A. Colón López is an editor of El Bien-Te-Veo, published by the Puerto Rican Ornithological Society. Lisa Yntema is an ecologist and conservation biologist in St. Croix. José A. Salguero Faria is a wildlife biologist and ornithologist involved in avian conservation in Puerto Rico.

Fatbirder View:

I don’t find myself waxing lyrically about this field guide. Don’t get me wrong, you will need it and use it and find it is all you need should you visit Puerto Rico and the Virgins. I just wasn’t bowled over by it.

The species text is pretty limited partly because some plates are crowded and, to keep the text opposite the illustrations the text is necessarily perfunctory.

All the illustrations are adequate, everything you need to separate species etc., but some of the jewels just don’t sparkle in the way they do in life. The endemic tody is a pretty illustration, in life Todies take your breath away! They exude charm and personality as well as sheer beauty.

Maybe my Sciatica is making my view somewhat jaundiced, so, see for yourself, even this old curmudgeon recommends the book.

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Fatbirder