Birding in Jamaica – New Guide to Jamaican Birds

Publication of a new field guide to a country’s birds is always a significant event and even more so if the book adds substantially to the general knowledge of an area’s birdlife. Such is the case with the new A Photographic Guide to the Birds of Jamaica (2009, Christopher Helm) by Dr. Ann Haynes-Sutton et al. This 300 page, pocket-sized guide is well printed and contains truly excellent color photos on almost every page.

Technically, the new guide is an update to Sutton and Downer’s 1990 Jamaica book, but what an update! The text and photos are entirely new and there are now range maps to accompany each of the species. Endemics are allotted more detailed textual treatment and often 3 or 4 excellent photos.

The opening chapters provide valuable information about Jamaica’s habitats, conservation challenges, origins of the Jamaican avifauna, and a history of Jamaican ornithology. That all of this information could be contained in a book sized for easy use in the field, and one so beautifully produced, is a real marvel. Of course, many birders prefer painted bird plates to photographs, as painted plates facilitate side-by-side comparison of similar species. Although that’s generally true, users will find that the quality and quantity of photos in this book are more than sufficient for identification of Jamaica’s birds. This is a must-have guide for birders visiting our island.

This entry was posted on Friday, December 18th, 2009 at 5:53 pm and is filed under Birding in Jamaica, Jamaica, Vacation in Jamaica. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.