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Sheldon R. Severinghaus

Auteur van A New Guide to the Birds of Taiwan

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Werken van Sheldon R. Severinghaus

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Basics: 1976, revised edition, hardcover, 221 pages, 8 color plates of 43 species, 201 species described, no range maps; English and Chinese

This older guide is not quite what we recognize today as a complete field guide. The book is more of an introductory field guide for the casual birder. The book generally describes 201 of Taiwan’s 450+ species and illustrates even fewer (43) in the color plates.

The artwork of the plates is average at best. Each bird has one illustration. This might allow you to identify the bird, but not necessarily. The images lack adequate detail and are best used for simply getting a general idea of what the bird looks like. The printing quality of these plates is relatively poor and looks like cartoons printed in a newspaper where the ink bleeds a little. Another 100+ black-and-white line drawings are scattered throughout the book. The quality of these drawings is useful only for getting a basic impression of the bird’s appearance. They are not sufficient for identification.

The text on each of the birds, written in both Chinese and English, is limited. This consists of one short paragraph covering identification, voice, and distribution. The notes on identification are weak and generalized. As an example, the entire description of the Yellow-bellied Bush Warbler is “Olive-brown, paler below”. The Great Reed Warbler is “Brown above. Whitish below. White eye-brow.”

I cannot recommend this book for any engaged birder interested in visiting Taiwan. Instead, I recommend the hard-to-find, Chinese-only book “Field Guide to the Wild Birds of Taiwan” by Wu (ISBN 9579578001). The book “A Field Guide to the Birds of China” by MacKinnon & Phillipps is also recommended.

I’ve listed several related books below…
1) Field Guide to the Wild Birds of Taiwan by Wau – Chinese only (ISBN 9579578001)
2) Birdwatching in Taiwan by Wild Bird Society of Taipei
3) A Field Guide to the Birds of Taiwan by Wan-Fu Chang
4) A Field Guide to the Birds of China by MacKinnon/Phillipps
5) A Photographic Guide to the Birds of Japan and East Asia by Shimba
6) The Birds of Hong Kong and South China, 8th edition, by Viney
… (meer)
 
Gemarkeerd
Soleglad | Sep 24, 2008 |

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