Field guide to Mexican birds (1 Viewer)

T

teh

Member

• Mar 5, 2003

• #1

I am going to Mexico this summer. Can anyone tell me which field guide I should buy? I will only travel in areas south of Mexico City.

I you are interested in Danish birding, please visit my website: http://www.birdwatch.dk/default_uk.asp

 

dennis

Have binoculars. Will travel.

• Mar 5, 2003

• #2

Hello teh,

The guide I use is "A Guide to the Birds of Mexico and Northern Central America" by Steve N.G. Howell and Sophie Webb(pub.1995). Cost...about $40(US).

The guide covers all 1070 species which occur in Mexico, Guatamala, Belize and Honduras. 71 color plates with range maps.

Worked great for my visits to Mexico.

dennis

 

IanF

Moderator

• Mar 5, 2003

• #3

Hi Teh,

Welcome to Bird Forum :t:

I hope you like the site. I can't help you with any fiirst hand knowledge of birding in Mexico, but a search at Abebooks brought up some pretty useful looking titles. Just enter 'Mexico bird watching' in the Keyword field.

They are used books which can be picked up for a few dollars. I've had several of them myself on pretty obscure subjects. Not all supply overseas, but the one's that do are pretty speedy delivery. It's worth a check.

Good luck !

 

J

Jacques Amar

A stumble may prevent a fall

• Mar 5, 2003

• #4

Hi teh , I've been there twice and took the Howell / Webb book the first time. Later I met someone who swore by the Peterson guide to Mexican birds as "It removes all the clutter".For me it created clutter in my luggage as I had to take both of them on my second trip.If you only want one I'd say get the Peterson guide,cheaper,more compact but it doesn't go much beyond the basics.(298 small pages versus 851 larger ones).As far as I know they are the only 2 books in print for the Mexico.Enjoy your trip,it's a great part of the world. P.S. Steve Howell also has a bird finding guide to Mexico.P.P.S.thanks for the Danish birding link!

 

Last edited: Mar 5, 2003

F

fredwerner

New member

• Aug 20, 2003

• #5

Field guide to Mexican Birds

What about this book?:

A Field Guide to the Birds of Mexico and Adjacent Areas : Belize, Guatemala, and El Salvador, Third Edition, 1998. by Ernest Preston Edwards (Author), Edward Murrell Butler (Illustrator).

The Howell and Webb book appears to be out of print, at least at amazon.com (both hardcover and paperback).

 

Swift

Well-known member

• Aug 20, 2003

• #6

Take the Howell and Webb field guide , also take the book finding birds in Mexico also by Howell (no i dont get commision) i used both this month in Mexico, as for the Peterson it would come in handy if you were out birding and got caught short ..............

 

Steve Gross

Well-known member

• Aug 21, 2003

• #7

One of the limitations of the Peterson Mexican guide is that is often refers to species descriptions that can only be found in other Peterson guides (i.e. the Western guide (US)). If you wanted to cover all Mexican birds, you'd have to bring several different Peterson guides, not just one volume.

This system isn't so bad if you know all of the Western US birds, but if you're visiting that part of the world for the first time, your field guide would not include all of the species you'd see, particularly if you go when Neotropical migrants are south during the winter.

The Howell and Webb is a bigger book to carry around, but it has most everything you'd need in the field.

Steve in Houston, TX

 

F

fredwerner

New member

• Aug 27, 2003

• #8

What about Edwards and Butler? Has anyone seen / useed this book?

A Field Guide to the Birds of Mexico and Adjacent Areas : Belize, Guatemala, and El Salvador, Third Edition, 1998. by Ernest Preston Edwards (Author), Edward Murrell Butler (Illustrator).