BIRDS OF SOUTH AMERICA, THE

A Land of incredible natural resources, the South American continent is rich in plant and animal species. Among birds alone, over 3,100 species are either resident or migrant. Birds are some of South America's treasures and also one of its most endangered resources. Hence the need for a descriptive record of South American birds that will serve both professional and amateur bird students and encourage conservation of these magnificent species. The Birds of South America, when completed, will be a four-volume work. The initial volume, The Oscine Passerines, is the first modern field handbook for all the true songbirds, encompassing over 700 species. Thirty-one color plates by Guy Tudor, meticulously researched for soft-part colors and perching attitudes, provide a definitive visual record of most of the species included and are arranged to show relationships of different species to each other. The text by Robert Ridgely provides extensive information on the habitat, range, habits, and voices of the birds. Over 700 specially prepared distribution maps, based on published sources and recent observations, enhance the volume's usefulness in the field. The other three volumes in the series will repeat this format.
Although South American birds elicit much popular and scientific interest, they have never been completely or satisfactorily described and cataloged in a single, published source. The Birds of South America, prepared under generous research grants from the World Wildlife Fund and others, thus fills a critical void in knowledge. Starting from a museum approach, the authors examine specimens of each subspecies, comparing them visually and trying to discern the patterns in their variation, both intra- and interspecifically. They take a new look at bird systematics, reassessing relationships in light of new information.