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Mexico Field Guide Reccommendation please (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter timtagel
- Start date
Richard Klim
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I would never visit Mexico without Howell & Webb 1995 (A Guide to the Birds of Mexico and Northern Central America). But it's rather bulky, so van Perlo 2006 (Collins) is a useful lightweight complement, although with minimal detail.
Last edited:
Pitohui
Active member
Book recommendations and sample pages
I'll strongly second the recommendation of the Howell/Webb guide for Mexico. It is superior in artistry, plumage variation, and text to any other book available. Its large size and weight does make it slightly unfriendly in the field, though.
The newer guide by van Perlo is decent. It illustrates all species and most of the prominent plumages. The artistry is weaker and the illustrations are small. Notably thin is the text. Basically, you'll need to ID the bird from just the plates.
Similar comments but with harsher criticism can be made about the guide by Ernest Edwards (2003).
Peterson's older guide has good artwork but only 55% of the species are shown. However, all of them are described in the text. The species not illustrated are primarily the ones found in the US. So, if you're familiar with the US species, the Peterson guide may be sufficient. It is certainly a cheaper book to purchase.
I have sample pages of the plates and text for each of the books noted above on a web page dedicated to bird books of Mexico. You can see those at this link...
http://sites.google.com/site/avianreview/Home/review-content/Mexico#regional
Enjoy the Yucatan!
Jack
I'll strongly second the recommendation of the Howell/Webb guide for Mexico. It is superior in artistry, plumage variation, and text to any other book available. Its large size and weight does make it slightly unfriendly in the field, though.
The newer guide by van Perlo is decent. It illustrates all species and most of the prominent plumages. The artistry is weaker and the illustrations are small. Notably thin is the text. Basically, you'll need to ID the bird from just the plates.
Similar comments but with harsher criticism can be made about the guide by Ernest Edwards (2003).
Peterson's older guide has good artwork but only 55% of the species are shown. However, all of them are described in the text. The species not illustrated are primarily the ones found in the US. So, if you're familiar with the US species, the Peterson guide may be sufficient. It is certainly a cheaper book to purchase.
I have sample pages of the plates and text for each of the books noted above on a web page dedicated to bird books of Mexico. You can see those at this link...
http://sites.google.com/site/avianreview/Home/review-content/Mexico#regional
Enjoy the Yucatan!
Jack
Phil Carter
Well-known member
Although I think the Howell and Webb is the best available, in practice I found it difficult to use and, in the case of the Orioles, pretty hopeless. This, however, may be a reflection on me rather than the book. The Yucatan is a fabulous place though.
Phil
Phil
Yes, despite it's being the best available, it's still an old style guide in that it separates the depictions of the birds from the range maps and detailed ID discussion. I expect this is one reason you found it difficult to use.
I've heard the artwork praised for its accuracy, but aesthetically it's not a match for Peterson. But Peterson only shows the heads of many Mexican species, and is also old style, so I wouldn't recommend it over H&W.
Best,
Jim
James Lowther
Well-known member
this is a bit left field but "birds of belize" by Jones and Gardner includes probably 98% of the species you can see in the yucatan and is a pretty decent all round field guide, and a fair bit smaller than Howell and Webb.
I used it in the yucatan and had no real problems, although i researched the appearance of the 6-7 species which weren't in the book beforehand using photos etc.
if you're interested can let you know which spp. they were.
cheers,
James
I used it in the yucatan and had no real problems, although i researched the appearance of the 6-7 species which weren't in the book beforehand using photos etc.
if you're interested can let you know which spp. they were.
cheers,
James
tomjenner
Well-known member
Personally, I don't think that the other guides are any match for Howell and Webb. I think that James' solution of using the Belize guide is the best alternative, but you would not have the range maps.
Check out Jack's excellent link in post 3. I have not been to this page before and it is excellent. It is very thorough, though surprisingly does not include Howell's ´Where to Watch Birds in Mexico', which I found invaluable when I was traveling around the Yucatan. I have written a short review of most of the relevant books on my Mayanbirding website (link below)
Have a great trip.
Tom
Check out Jack's excellent link in post 3. I have not been to this page before and it is excellent. It is very thorough, though surprisingly does not include Howell's ´Where to Watch Birds in Mexico', which I found invaluable when I was traveling around the Yucatan. I have written a short review of most of the relevant books on my Mayanbirding website (link below)
Have a great trip.
Tom
James Lowther
Well-known member
one thing to bear in mind with howell and webb is that if i remember right it doesn't illustrate non-breeding migrants e.g. north american species, which are quite a big component of the avifauna in yucatan in autumn.
if you already have a north american FG probably worthwhile taking that also
cheers,
James
if you already have a north american FG probably worthwhile taking that also
cheers,
James
Irby Davis book
Hi Jack,
I really enjoy the vast selection of books you have listed. In the Mexico listing, I found the first reference to the 1972 book of L. Irby Davis. For a while, this was the only book for all of Central America. I basically agree with your rating, but I miss one most important aspect: Davis was a splitter and name-changer. At least, at the time the book came out, there were all too many species and names one did not find anywhere else in the FGs. I have not followed up on whether his ideas were ever incorporated into the "mainstream". But at the time, he did the birders and the popularity of his book a great disservice with his views. I remember having done handwritten alterations of a great many names into my copy in order to make it usable jointly with other literature I had. In fact, I had always wondered why there was never a second edition with the customary names. It would have seemed a relatively easy task, unless Davis specifically forbid such an undertaking by the publisher.
Hi Jack,
I really enjoy the vast selection of books you have listed. In the Mexico listing, I found the first reference to the 1972 book of L. Irby Davis. For a while, this was the only book for all of Central America. I basically agree with your rating, but I miss one most important aspect: Davis was a splitter and name-changer. At least, at the time the book came out, there were all too many species and names one did not find anywhere else in the FGs. I have not followed up on whether his ideas were ever incorporated into the "mainstream". But at the time, he did the birders and the popularity of his book a great disservice with his views. I remember having done handwritten alterations of a great many names into my copy in order to make it usable jointly with other literature I had. In fact, I had always wondered why there was never a second edition with the customary names. It would have seemed a relatively easy task, unless Davis specifically forbid such an undertaking by the publisher.
James Lowther
Well-known member
if you do go with the belize FG the following spp. which occur in yucatan are not illustrated i don't think
crested caracara
piping plover
zenaida dove
mexican sheartail
turquoise-browed motmot
yucatan wren
white-lored gnatcatcher
cheers,
James
Pitohui
Active member
L. Irby Davis
Your comment made me pull out this book again. I had forgotten how liberal the author was with splitting off the many races and giving the birds new names; or, simply renaming familar birds (e.g., Booming vs. Common Nighthawk; or, Lichtenstein's vs. Golden-crowned Warbler). My first indoctrination to Mexican birds was through Peterson's book. I recall going through Davis's book after becoming familiar with Peterson. I subsequently set aside the Davis version due to mismatching of names and the many "new species".
At least we can give him credit for being ahead of his time for calling one of the birds a Spindalis and not a Stripe-headed Tanager!
I've hunted around for other editions and cover designs to the book. It appears the 1972 versions are it.
Jack
Your comment made me pull out this book again. I had forgotten how liberal the author was with splitting off the many races and giving the birds new names; or, simply renaming familar birds (e.g., Booming vs. Common Nighthawk; or, Lichtenstein's vs. Golden-crowned Warbler). My first indoctrination to Mexican birds was through Peterson's book. I recall going through Davis's book after becoming familiar with Peterson. I subsequently set aside the Davis version due to mismatching of names and the many "new species".
At least we can give him credit for being ahead of his time for calling one of the birds a Spindalis and not a Stripe-headed Tanager!
I've hunted around for other editions and cover designs to the book. It appears the 1972 versions are it.
Jack
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