Author: Richard Grimmett, Carol Inskipp and Tim Inskipp
Publisher: Princeton University Press – 528 pages
Book Review by: Sonu Chandiram
This book is a field guide to birds not only n India but also found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. All of these countries except Bhutan and Nepal were once part of India. As a matter of fact the authors state in the Introduction that this book is a compact version of Birds of the Indian Subcontinent (1998).
A large full-color map of South Asia is provided for easy reference to the user. One of the best features of this book is that along with photos of birds on the right-side pages are found thumbnail maps of the subcontinent on the left, on which are highlighted the areas where these birds are to be found.
Of great value to ornithologists, bird lovers, bird watchers and the general public is the extensive coverage of 1,375 species of birds (found and recorded up to 2010) and 226 color plates, with no more than six or seven species shown per plate. And even with its encyclopedic amount of information, this book is small and compact enough to carry on field trips in the subcontinent.
A section on plumage terminology includes detailed drawings of a typical bird, along with its head and a wing. A useful glossary of terms is provided at the start of the book. A detailed description of the environment in the subcontinent is also a part of this study of birds, which contains information on the climate and the habitats of different bird species. Descriptive coverage of the habitats includes forests, scrub, wetlands, grasslands, desert, and seas.
Also part of the important information in at are recent discoveries of certain species; migration patterns of others; the levels of prevalence of some families of , endemic bird areas; which are the more widespread species and which are threatened by potential extinction.
There is also a section on conservation which includes religious attitudes and current threats of many kinds, including threats to deserts, forests, grasslands and wetlands. There are also discussions of agricultural practices and conservation measures affecting different types of birds.
The main section or the bulk of the book has the photos and descriptions of the birds, which are detailed in 478 pages, comprising more than 90 percent of the book’s length of 528 pages. Family summaries are first provided in this section, followed by descriptions of the birds. The descriptions include identification features (ID) including voice (Voice) for most species, as well as approximate lengths of the body, and the bill. The descriptions also include habitats and habits, a taxonomic name (TN) or an alternative name (AN).
We commend the authors for having painstakingly worked to produce a professional, comprehensive, thorough and recently updated book on birds of the Indian subcontinent.
Richard Grimmett is head of conservation at BirdLife International. Carol Inskipp and Tom Inskipp are freelance wildlife consultants. The authors have traveled widely in Asia and have together written a series of books on the continent’s birds.
