The Birds of Ecuador: 2-Volume Set: 2-Volume Set with Slip Case: Status, Distribution, and Taxonomy / Field Guide Vols I & II [Englisch] [Taschenbuch]

There are probably only two ways of approaching this book. Firstly on your knees, bowing low and, secondly, after several weeks of serious weight-training. I have recently come back from a short bird-watching holiday to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands. I knew these books were coming out, but they weren't out in time for me. So, like thousands of birdwatchers in the past, I had to make do with Hilty & Brown's "Birds of Colombia" (Princeton University Press) as the next best thing. Hilty & Brown is an EXCELLENT book, but Ecuador has some 500 more bird species than Colombia and is arguably the richest birding country on the planet. A comparison is instructive. Hilty & Brown's paperback covers its remit in 820 pages and weighs 1.3kg. Ridgely & Greenfield consists of two paperback volumes totalling nearly 1600 pages which,in their thick cardboard slipcase, weigh 3.1 kg ! Hence the need for weight-training - even so, these may be more than you can comfortably carry and even the authors suggest you leave one volume at home ! Both Paperbacks are called "The Birds of Ecuador" but one is sub-titled "Vol. I. Status, Abundance & Taxonomy", whilst the other is "Vol. II. Field Guide". They are VERY different. Volume II is the more immediately traditional. It is 740 pages long, has nearly 100 colour plates illustrating the birds of Ecuador and is supported by a text giving details of each bird, habits, voice etc. and a distribution map. Volume I is 850 pages long and only has one illustration. It has an 80-page section on various topics such as ecosystems, migration, conservation, a history of Ecuadorian birdwatching, a gazeteer. The rest is a detailed account for each species of abundance and distribution in different districts and important birding sites in Ecuador. Are there any limitations ? Yes, chiefly geographical ones. The authors have deliberately left out the Galapagos (which belong to Ecuador) and have restricted seabirds to those that can be seen for a few kilometres out to sea. They also omit the large "Disputed Territory" which either belongs to Ecuador or Peru depending on whose map you look at - on balance this is probably a wise precaution. Some of the illustrations look as if they have come from Ridgely's masterwork on the Birds of South America but since this is only appearing at the rate of about one volume every decade this is hardly a criticism. Do you need both volumes - given that you can buy them separately if you want ? The answer is probably YES. I think if you had only bought volume I you would definitely NEED volume II - the Field Guide. If you had only bought Volume II you would WANT Volume I as well. Ecuador should be on the wish list of every travelling birdwatcher and these books should therefore be on the shopping list. Without serious competition, they are the immediate "Bible" for the birds of Ecuador and should be treated with reverence as a labour of love, a work of high scholarship and a delight to birdwatchers everywhere.

What a set of books, no doubt about that! For the first time, there is a full set of very useful color plates for one of the core South American countries. It is certainly a great accomplishment to have all the species pictured in color and on a more or less consistent standard. However, I do not agree with other reviewers who rave about the plates. Too many of the bird pictures have an overall flat appearance, with the color rendition being too simplistic or too bold. And while a good number of the birds are depicted in good or even unnessessarily large size, others would have benefitted from a larger sized rendition. Just because a species is small does not mean it has to be depicted in a diminutive size, unless there are larger species of the same group on the plate. Thus, while the plates are most useful, it is nevertheless disappointing to see that the overall standard (except for the plates being all in color) is rather lower than what was already published decades ago e.g. in "Birds of Colombia".
The field guide volume has excellent range maps and very helpful comprehensive texts. A somewhat more compact layout would have allowed for a smaller overall size of the book, however. The way to do it is being demonstrated in the book itself. The texts facing the plates use the suggested compact layout most convincingly. Spanish bird names are given in the main text, but, unfortunately, there is no index for them. To conclude, this is by far the more useful field guide for the general area than the also new "Birds of Peru" with its almost non-existing texts, lack of range maps and much less satisfactory plates. (P.S. This is a revised review as I think my first version did not do the book justice.)

I have had these books for just a few weeks, but they have been invaluable for identifying the birds of Ecuador. I have lived in Quito for 9 years, and have had the opportunity to see many different species of birds, but have never taken the time to identify them until now. I will agree with other reviewers that the field guide is a little hefty for carrying with you. Here in Quito they have the plates in a separate volume and in Spanish, but you have to buy the entire set to get it. I have not found this available in the U. S. This would make a great addition to the library without having to tear out the plates and make your own, plates-only volume.