Sinopsis de HANDBOOK OF THE BIRDS OF THE WORLD (VOL. 4): SANDGROUSE TO CUCKOO S
Sandgrouse to Cucos. Prólogo sobre el concepto de especie y sus límites en ornitología. Más de 7000 referencias bibliográficasWith the current trend for publication dates to be missed and missed again, it is a pleasure to review a book that actually comes out on time. This is especially true of this series, and moreso when one considers the effort that must have gone into its production, eg in the current volume there are no fewer than 54 pages of references. The editors and publishers are to be congratuled. This fourth volume maintains the high standards set by volumes 1-3 and follows the same format, with introductory sections on each family containing a liberal scattering of excellent photographs (frequently of little-known species, although I have seen better published photographs of some of the species featured). Many of the photographs are mouth- watering and bring back great memories of past birding trips and provide incentive for future trips. Among my personal favourites are the Speckled Pigeon on page 94, the Red-fan Parrot on page 288, the Scarlet Macaw on page 293 and the Blue Lorikeet on page 311. The species accounts follow the introductory sections and include plates of every recognised species. As mentioned in reviews of previous volumes, the individual species accounts are necessarily fair...