Birds of Jamaica: A Photographic Field Guide [Hardcover]

Audrey Downer (Author), Robert L. Sutton (Author), Yves-Jacques Rey-Millet (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 30, 1990

A field guide to the birds of Jamaica including many birds never photographed before. It is a compilation of knowledge gleaned over a 25-year period of bird watching, bird ringing and bird song recording. All endemic species and subspecies unique to the Caribbean are described in detail.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 16 and up
  
• Hardcover: 152 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press; 1st Ed. edition (November 30, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521383099
• ISBN-13: 978-0521383097
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,199,837 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good photos of Jamaica's endemics, August 23, 2008

By 

Soleglad (Arizona, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Birds of Jamaica: A Photographic Field Guide (Hardcover)

Basics: hardcover, 1990; 45 species shown in 74 color photographs, total of 200 (68%) of the islands birds are addressed in the text, no range maps

The primary focus of this small photo guide is to focus on Jamaica's endemic species and subspecies (about 46) along with some of the other Caribbean specialties. Nearly 200 species ar covered in this book, which represents about 68% of the islands complete list. Of the 200 in this book, only 45 are illustrated. The remainder of the birds are addressed with a brief amout of text that denotes only their status and range.

All the photos are in color and of good quality with their sizes range from a 2-inch square to a full page. Additional photos display those species that have notable male-female differences.

For the birds that are photographed, a greater amount of text covers identification, status, voice, range, habitat, and habits. The identification notes are reasonably descriptive but typically do not compare similar species. Since their are not too many similar species, this will allow this book to be reasonably effective for identification.

This book will be a handy guide for your birding trip to Jamaica, if your focus is on just the specialties and you've seen the other Caribbean and US species that are found on the island. If you're not familiar with the other 150+ species typically found in the US, you might want to include a standard US field guide on your trip. -- (written by Jack at Avian Review / Avian Books, August 2008)

I've listed several related books below...

1) A Photographic Guide to the Birds of Jamaica by Downer/Sutton/ Rey-Millet

2) Photographic Guide to Birds of the West Indies by Flieg/Sander

3) A Guide to the Birds of the West Indies by Raffaele et al.

4) Birds of the West Indies by Raffaele et al.

5) Birds of the West Indies by Bond

6) Oiseaux des Petites Antilles -- Birds of the West Indies by Benito-Espinal (ISBN 2950228453)

7) Birds of the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands (Caribbean Pocket Natural History) by Hallett

8) Birds of the Cayman Islands by Bradley

5.0 out of 5 stars Birds of Jamaica, December 12, 2011

By 

Jim Boone (Las Vegas, NV USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Birds of Jamaica: A Photographic Field Guide (Hardcover)

I haven't used this book in the field yet, but it seems to be a well written book with good introductory material about the island and birding locations. The bird photos and descriptions seem well written. This seems to be a good book to review before going to the island because it cuts the clutter by only showing photos of the endemic species.

7 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Birds of Jamaica : A Photographic Field Guide, January 27, 2002

By 

D. J. Cook "birdsofjamaica" (Hanover, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Birds of Jamaica: A Photographic Field Guide (Hardcover)

BIRDS OF JAMAICA
A PHOTOGRAPHIC FIELD GUIDE

Authors: Audrey Downer and Robert Sutton
Photographs: Yves-Jacques Rey-Millet

First Edition
Format: Hardcover, 152 pages
Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 1990
Condition: New, Out of print

Maps, color photos, glossary, bibliography,
index, Printed on coated stock.

All birds are photographed in the wild.

"In Jamaica there are 25 species and 21
subspecies of birds which are found nowhere else
on Earth. More endemic bird species occur in
Jamaica than on any other Caribbean island or most
other oceanic islands around the world. Birding in
Jamaica is enhanced by the outstanding beauty of
many of the birds, the unique richness and variety of
landscape, and the pleasant tropical climate."
--Birds of Jamaica.