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I have several bird books for Central America but this is by far the most comprehensive guide on birds of Belize. There are numerous illustrations and the information is very thorough. If you're looking for a guide to Belizean birds, this is for you.
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really good bird book lots of interesting facts but just too big to take out in the field!!
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Belize is a bird watcher's paradise. I bought this book right before my first trip to Belize in June of 2006. As an amateur bird watcher, I found it immensely easy to identify birds with this book as a guide. It is somewhat hefty, and a little cumbersome to carry around in the steamy jungles, but its printed on high-quality paper with water-resistant paper boards, and well laid out for quick reference. My wife and I stayed at two resorts during our trip, and all of the resident expert bird guides carried this book! The plates are wonderfully hand drawn in color, which is much better than color photographs for any field guide. Another couple we met also had this book, but felt the drawings of some of the species were not on par with other publications, but obviously a volume dedicated to the single country you are in makes this volume well worth the price.
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We found Birds of Belize to be very helpful in identifying the colorful birds of this tropical nation. We also slipped into the Mayan ruins of Tikal in Guatemala for a day and saw the Black-headed Trogon and Montezuma Oropendola. Along the bus route we saw the Wood Storks flying over distant wetlands. Most of our time was spent in the Cayo district where we enjoyed the friendly Great Kiskadee, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Blue Grosbeak, Baltimore and Orchard Oriole. The parrots kept us challenged, going from tree to tree. And oh, what a disappointment when we learned of Macaw Bank, just down the road from us where those beautiful creatures apparently come each evening. We would have loved to seen the Toucan also. But we did see 50 birds during our 12 day stay. On bus trips we also saw the Lineated Woodpecker. Got a sling book bag made by the locals to carry this heavier book. We probably should have left the book home on our boat journey to Caye Calker for snorkeling; because even the salt water seeped through the bag on a corner of the book. There were a couple of birds which we simply could not identify. Just couldn't find them in the book. Immatures, females, or vagrants? We shall treasure the record of our bird list in the back of the book from this trip to Belize. We were pleased to have taken this helpful identifying bird book with us on the trip. Would have been lost without it.
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Due to its small size, proximity to the USA, English speaking tradition, tropical biodiversity and fairly well conserved natural environment, Belize is growing to be one of the most popular destinations for birders. However, until recently the country lacked a national field guide. This book therefore fills a major gap in the bird identification literature.
The book covers all 574 species recorded in Belize at the time of publication. After brief but informative introductory chapters, a group of 56 colour plates is dedicated to every species. As a refreshing change, all migrants are illustrated, reducing the need to carry an additional field guide to North American birds. A brief text accompanies each plate on the facing page, while the full species descriptions are found separately in the main body of text. Range maps for 234 species are found at the back of the book.
Although this book will not replace the immensely authoritative Howell & Webb's "A Guide to the Birds of Mexico and Northern Central America" (on Amazon: ISBN 0198540124) for Belize, it is certainly a much more portable guide to carry into the field. A must for birders planning a trip to this friendly patch of Central America.
Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 598.097282
EAN: 9780292701649
ISBN: 0292701640
Label: University of Texas Press
Languages: EnglishOriginal LanguageEnglishUnknownEnglishPublished
Manufacturer: University of Texas Press
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 317
Publication Date: January 01, 2004
Publisher: University of Texas Press
Studio: University of Texas Press
Illustrator: Dana Gardner
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