[MalcolmM]

Hi

I've joined the bird forum to seek advice on which guide the experts recommend for travels to South America. My wife and I heading to Argentina for Christmas, and plan to spend three days at the Iguazu falls which straddles the borders of Argentina and Brazil. I would like to buy her a comprehensive birding guide as part of her Christmas present.

I'm hoping to find a book with a similar format to:

Newman's Birds of Southern Africa
National Geographic Field Guide of the Birds of North America
.
Both of which we have found very easy to use.

Thanks

Malcolm

[Tim Allwood]

Hi Malcolm

bit tricky as the area straddles two countries so regional guides might be better than a country guide.

Birds of Southern South America by Rumsboll et al. (I think) might be useful. The Argentina guide is still being written.

[salty]

hello, welcome to bird forum!

[KCFoggin]

Hello Malcolm!

On behalf of the staff here at BirdForum, a warm welcome to you.

[Fritz73]

Bienvenido Malcolm! Welcome to BF from Argentina.

For Argentina there are two Field Guides available:

'Birds of Southern South America and Antarctica'
by Martin R. de la Pena, Maurice Rumboll

'Birds of Argentina & Uruguay. A Field Guide'
by Tito Narosky, Dario Yzurieta

The first one is available at Amazon.com. It´s also more like the NAtional Geographic Field Guide.
The second one is more widely used by local birders. It´s the one I personally use.

The Iguazu Falls are also a wonderful place. Lots of water and BIRDS!!!

[BirdsPeru]

Malcolm welcome to BF from Lima, Peru.

I am agree with Fritz73 about the 'Birds of Argentina & Uruguay. A Field Guide'
by Tito Narosky, Dario Yzurieta, I had been in Argentina two or three times and that book really helps me identify the birds I saw and is easy to find them in the book. This book is easy to find in the bookstores around Buenos Aires.

Alejandro

[Rasmus Boegh]

Originally Posted by BirdsPeru

Malcolm welcome to BF from Lima, Peru.

I am agree with Fritz73 about the 'Birds of Argentina & Uruguay. A Field Guide'
by Tito Narosky, Dario Yzurieta, I had been in Argentina two or three times and that book really helps me identify the birds I saw and is easy to find them in the book. This book is easy to find in the bookstores around Buenos Aires.

Alejandro

I can only agree with above, get "Birds of Argentana & Uruguay". Furthermore, Foz do Iguaçu (or in Spanish; Foz do Iguazu) is placed just on the border, so all the birds recorded there are found in the guide to Argentina. The relatively recently published guide to the birds of Foz do Iguazu is nothing but the relavant species taken from the Narowsky & Yzurieta guide - so, don't waste your money on it. Enjoy your trip, its an amazing region.

[Konstantinos]

Dear Malcolm:

Welcome to the Bird Forum!

Best regards,

[dacol]

Originally Posted by MalcolmM

Hi

I've joined the bird forum to seek advice on which guide the experts recommend for travels to South America. My wife and I heading to Argentina for Christmas, and plan to spend three days at the Iguazu falls which straddles the borders of Argentina and Brazil. I would like to buy her a comprehensive birding guide as part of her Christmas present.

I'm hoping to find a book with a similar format to:

Newman's Birds of Southern Africa
National Geographic Field Guide of the Birds of North America
.
Both of which we have found very easy to use.

Thanks

Malcolm

Both books (see below) can be found at the NHBS site (in the UK):

http://www.nhbs.com/

Narosky and Yzurieta, as pointed out by others in this thread, is the best of the two but notice that the illustrations are not very good in any one of those but the superior text in N & Y makes up for it.



Birds of Argentina and Uruguay
A Field Guide
T Narosky and D Yzurieta

337 pages, 2000 colour illus, line drawings, maps.
Vazquez Mazzini Editores
Softcover - Edition 15 - reprinting
2003 - £56.50


Collins Illustrated Checklist: Birds of Southern South America and Antarctica
Martín R de la Peña and Maurice Rumboll

Series: *COLLINS ILLUSTRATED CHECKLISTS
304 pages, 97 col plates, 5 b/w plates, distribution maps.
Harper Collins
Softcover - 1998 - £14.50 - approx.*$38/€29
(reduced from £19.99 until 31/03/2005)

Dalcio

[Fritz73]

Originally Posted by dacol

Both books (see below) can be found at the NHBS site (in the UK):

http://www.nhbs.com/


Birds of Argentina and Uruguay
A Field Guide
T Narosky and D Yzurieta

337 pages, 2000 colour illus, line drawings, maps.
Vazquez Mazzini Editores
Softcover - Edition 15 - reprinting
2003 - £56.50

Don´t pay £56.50 for the book. In Buenos Aires you could buy it for aprox. $30 (Dollars) at Birdlife partner in Buenos Aires: Aves Argentinas/Asociacion Ornitologica Argentina. The adress is: 25 de mayo 749 2 "6" in downtown Buenos Aires near the corner Av. Cordoba and Av. Leandro Alem. They open from 15:00 to 19:30.

[MalcolmM]

Hi Tim

Thank you for the information, I'm about to trawl the book sites to search out a copy of the Rumsboll book.

I haven't checked the forum everyday, and so I apologise for the delay in replying.

Cheers

Malcolm

Originally Posted by Tim Allwood

Hi Malcolm

bit tricky as the area straddles two countries so regional guides might be better than a country guide.

Birds of Southern South America by Rumsboll et al. (I think) might be useful. The Argentina guide is still being written.

[jumu65]

Hi, this is Julie, wife of Malcolm, who surprised me before our trip to Iguacu Falls, with the Rumboll "Birds of Southern South America & Antarctica" book. Thank you to all who contributed advice on this region.

Our trip was magical, and we were lucky to spend a morning with a local ornithologist, who was outstanding. I'd like to recommend his services here, for those planning to visit Iguacu (on the Argentinian side). His name is Daniel Somay and he is contactable at explorador.expediciones@rainforestevt.com.ar, his website is www.rainforestevt.com.ar. Daniel is highly knowledgeable and he's spent over 10 years recording more than 400 different bird calls, which he carries with him on a little player.

With his guidance, we went on a walk and saw more than 50 bird species, including the beautiful surucua trogon, tanagers, euphonias, tyrannulets, black-crowned tityra and the chestnut-eared aracari. Just spectacular, and so good to be with someone who not only showed us unusual birds, but also got great pleasure from simple things like seeing how the morning sun caught the brilliant colours in the wing feathers of the smooth-billed ani. Highly recommended!

Thanks again for your advice,
Julie

Originally Posted by MalcolmM

Hi Tim

Thank you for the information, I'm about to trawl the book sites to search out a copy of the Rumsboll book.

I haven't checked the forum everyday, and so I apologise for the delay in replying.

Cheers

Malcolm

[Fritz73]

Originally Posted by jumu65

Hi, this is Julie, wife of Malcolm, who surprised me before our trip to Iguacu Falls, with the Rumboll "Birds of Southern South America & Antarctica" book. Thank you to all who contributed advice on this region.

Thanks again for your advice,
Julie

Hi Julie,

It's great you enjoyed your trip to the Iguazu Falls. I was there a few days at the beginning of february and really could see a lot of birds and photograph some of them. I hope I can scan them soon as to upload them here.

Bye, Fritz

[Tero]

I have seen a slim volume on Chile, might be a good pair to the Argentina ones. It looked pretty good.
Birds of Chile (Princeton Field Guides)
by Alvaro Jaramillo, Peter Burke (Illustrator), David Beadle (Illustrator)