Boonsong Lekagul (1907–1992)

Basics: 1991, hardcover, 457 pages, 135 color plates of 900+ species, range maps

This 1991 version is the 3rd and vastly improved revision of the prior books from 1968 and 1974. All of Thailand’s birds (as of 1991) are illustrated and described in the 135 color plates and accompanying text. The book is a field guide, but is slightly heavier and thicker than most others.

The plates contain good artistry but, in my opinion, just a notch below that demonstrated in Robson’s Birds of Thailand. The male and female plumages are shown, but there are fewer examples of the seasonal and subspecies differences as compared to Robson’s book. One touch I like in this Lekagul book is illustrating the ventral side of the tails of the various leaf-warblers (Phylloscopus). Also, all the plates look cleaner and less crowded than Robson’s book.

The text for each bird is usually, but not always across from the plate. At times, you must turn the page forwards to find the text for the respective bird. This is not a big deal, but does cause some pausing as you look around for the bird’s text and then realize you must turn the page – and, on rare occasions, go backwards one page.

This text is one paragraph with half of it dedicated to describing the bird. Although the descriptions may be brief, their conciseness is effective and, they offer unique details that attest to the author’s familiarity with the birds and similar species in the field. The remainder of the text goes to describing the voice and the habitat.

The range maps, which use four colors for various seasons, are a little on the small side (1.5 x 2.5 cm); however, the ranges offer details of the bird’s broken distributions.

This book, which is not always easy to locate, is a good field guide. Enhancements to the warblers would make it even better. Although I’d prefer to use Robson’s book, Birds of Thailand, this one will serve you well.

I’ve listed several related books below…
1) Birds of Thailand by Robson
2) A Photographic Guide to Birds of Thailand by Webster/Fook
3) Birds of Thailand by Eve/Guigue
4) A Guide to the Birds of Southeast Asia by Robson
5) A Photographic Guide to the Birds of Southeast Asia by Strange
6) A Field Guide to the Birds of South-East Asia by King
7) Birds of the Thai-Malay Peninsula: Volumes 1 & 2 by Wells et al.
8) A Photographic Guide to Birds of Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore by Davison/Fook
9) Birds: A Photographic Guide to the Birds of Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore by Strange
10) Birds of Myanmar by Lwin/Thwin… (meer)