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Guide to the Cuckoos of the World (1 Viewer)

P

Papuan birder

- Lost in the Pacific -
Another Helm Identification Guide which has been many years in the making is just off the press! It will apparently hit the bookshops in mid-June, have already pre-ordered my copy. Samples of the plates used in the book can be viewed over at amazon.co.uk.
  • Erritzøe, J., Mann, C.F., Brammer, F. & Fuller, R.A. 2012. Cuckoos of the World. 544pp, Christopher Helm, London.

As I have understood it the layout will be similar to the one used in the Cotingas and Manakins Guide? The authors have assembled a database of more than half a million records of cuckoos, which is impressive, but aim disappointed to learn that distribution maps with all their original underpinning records will not be published in the final book.
 
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The Book looks great, except for the Martin Woodcock's plates...I think his drawing needs a little more accuracy and details on colors and shapes...What do you think?
 
Papuan birder said:
The authors have assembled a database of more than half a million records of cuckoos, which is impressive, but aim disappointed to learn that distribution maps with all their original underpinning records will not be published in the final book.
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The distribution maps are in the book, but not the individual records from which they are derived.

The maps, including individual records, are viewable here (double-click to enlarge): www.fullerlab.org/cuckoos
 
Richard Klim said:
.....The maps, including individual records, are viewable here (double-click to enlarge): www.fullerlab.org/cuckoos
Click to expand...

Interesting to have access to these maps separate from the book.

I just found that my observation of Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo Chrysococcyx basalis from Lord Howe Island is not included. I had sent the observation together with a picture to the person in charge at the local museum on Lord Howe. As I never got a reply, I wondered whether the record was included. Well, it is not. I had realized then that this was a species new to Lord Howe Island. That's why I bothered at all, sending an e-mail with the picture.

It was on the airfield as we waited for our departure on 3 November 2007. One picture here shows it together with a Ruddy Turnstone on the airfield lawn. The other one, a bit cropped, providing a better ID. That's the one I had sent.
 

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José Merízio Jr said:
The Book looks great, except for the Martin Woodcock's plates...I think his drawing needs a little more accuracy and details on colors and shapes...What do you think?
Click to expand...

Looking at the Amazon link given above, it's obvious that there are considerable quality differences. But how does one know who did which plates?
 
I have now browsed through the book for a couple of hours. It resembles the warbler book and the cotinga book quite a lot and is similarly attractive looking. Paintings are good, although the style is somewhat variable. There are good quality photos of almost all species. Texts are not quite such pleasant reading like the cotinga book, but slightly more compressed and dry - but this is of course a matter of personal taste. It is very good that the distribution maps are based on new, original research. I too just don't understand why the black dots were not printed in the book and can only be seen in the web. They would have shown nicely where the maps are based on data and where there is a generalisation. Biometrics seem to be copied from Payne 2005 in the cases which I checked, so little original research here. The voice section is the greatest disappointment. There are no spectrograms and quite little comparisons between the species. The descriptions are from earlier literature, from several sources, often many different descriptions per species, and it is not even commented if this is because of geographical or individual variation, or is it only different descriptions of the same sound by different authors.

Compared to Payne 2005 - The Cuckoos, this book has nicer layout, lots of photos and more useful paintings. The general chapters of the earlier book are much more extensive.

In short, this book is just what it promises to be.
 
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jalid said:
It is very good that the distribution maps are based on new, original research. I too just don't understand why the black dots were not printed in the book and can only be seen in the web. They would have shown nicely where the maps are based on data and where there is a generalisation.
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On balance, I think that this approach is a reasonable compromise. The online maps can easily be inspected to get a good idea of the underlying data. Perhaps the individual record dots could have been included in the book for the scarcer species, and for records of vagrancy. But including all the black dots for widespread, common species (eg, Cuculus canorus) could be distracting (totally hiding the colour shading in some cases) - and sometimes informs us more about westernised human population density than the regional abundance of the species concerned!
 
Good to see heinrichi ("Moluccan Cuckoo") lumped in with Rusty-breasted Cuckoo. Fingers crossed that Schulenberg/Clements take note. That is until James, Rob, Frank et al do a paper separating all of these forms into a large number of (alleged) species on minor vocal differences! ;)

cheers, alan
 
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lewis20126 said:
That is until James, Rob, Frank et al do a paper separating all of these forms into a large number of (alleged) species on minor vocal differences! ;)
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Unleash the Mad Axemen on Cuckoo's :t:. Then they'll not only be almost impossible birds to see but also comprehend ;). The books not bad, either.

Chris
 
Richard Klim said:
But including all the black dots for widespread, common species (eg, Cuculus canorus) could be distracting (totally hiding the colour shading in some cases) - and sometimes informs us more about westernised human population density than the regional abundance of the species concerned!
Click to expand...

Yes, but at the other end of the distribution area, in South China, in relatively well-watched Hong Kong, the first record of the species was in 2007. And it is inside area uniformly painted in breeding colour. At least those sparse dots would have told us that there is some uncertainty.
 
Maybe the best solution would be to have seasonally colour-coded (rather than just black) dots, with paler-coloured shading. But probably easier said than done...
 
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Is there a difference in the number of described species between HBW vol. 4 and the Guide to the Cuckoos of the World?
 
lewis20126 said:
Good to see heinrichi ("Moluccan Cuckoo") lumped in with Rusty-breasted Cuckoo. Fingers crossed that Schulenberg/Clements take note. That is until James, Rob, Frank et al do a paper separating all of these forms into a large number of (alleged) species on minor vocal differences! ;)

cheers, alan
Click to expand...

Oh dear Al! I think even you would agree that 'Moluccan Cuckoo' has more than minor vocal differences! Was surprised to read that the consider the vocalisations not to be distinct, I think they may be proved wrong!

Rob
 
Rob Hutchinson said:
Oh dear Al! I think even you would agree that 'Moluccan Cuckoo' has more than minor vocal differences! Was surprised to read that the consider the vocalisations not to be distinct, I think they may be proved wrong!

Rob
Click to expand...

Rob, note the ;) - I saw some on Sulawesi 21 years ago so just hoping its the same thing as the one on Halmahera (albeit not a common biogeographic link as might be expected) ..you can tell me all about it in Forktail next year!

cheers, a
 
On balance, I think that this approach is a reasonable compromise. The online maps can easily be inspected to get a good idea of the underlying data. Perhaps the individual record dots could have been included in the book for the scarcer species, and for records of vagrancy. But including all the black dots for widespread, common species (eg, Cuculus canorus) could be distracting (totally hiding the colour shading in some cases) - and sometimes informs us more about westernised human population density than the regional abundance of the species concerned!


Correct, Richard Klim.

All the info's online if you really want to see the data.

Jim
 
Jim

FWIW and if no-one has mentioned it the names of Red-breasted Coua and Coquerel's Coua are the wrong way round on the plate. Very enjoyable book, mostly good plates and a nice collection of photos.

cheers, alan
 
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