Birds of Myanmar [Paperback]

Kyaw Nyunt Lwin (Author), Khin Ma Ma Thwin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2005

Myanmar (Burma) supports one of the richest and most diverse bird communities in mainland Southeast Asia. This descriptive field guide to the birds of Myanmar will appeal to both novices and seasoned birdwatchers. The listings include colored illustrations of each bird, along with standard information for accurate identification, including family characteristics, approximate size, habitat, behavior, voice, breeding season, protected status, and any other distinctive features. Birds are identified by both common English names and scientific names. A handy checklist precedes the index.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 163 pages
• Publisher: Silkworm Books (January 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9749575687
• ISBN-13: 978-9749575680
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 6.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,992,620 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #81 in Books > Travel > Asia > Myanmar

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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Incomplete field guide with below average illustrations, June 26, 2008

By 

Soleglad (Arizona, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Birds of Myanmar (Paperback)

Basics: 2005, 1st edition, softcover, 165 pages, 64 color plates, 350 species, no range maps

This is the first book to focus on the birds of Myanmar (aka, Burma) since the initial 1940 publication of the larger Birds of Burma by Smythies. This earlier book is still in print with its fourth edition (2001) under that same title. This small field guide focuses on 350 of the nearly 1000 species that have been found in Myanmar. Each bird is illustrated across from its brief descriptive text. There is typically only one illustration per species; however, a few of the birds do have both male a female shown.

The illustrations are fair, but not of the quality seen in the more popular guides, or even those field guides covering Myanmar's neighboring countries. The physical structures are not quite right and the paintings are from a talented but amateur artist. With the illustrations and the 4-6 lines of text, this is not a book you could use to help identify any of the difficult families of birds. Another book will be necessary; if not to aid with identification, then to help with the hundreds of other birds not in this Myanmar guide.

Under the low odds you actually visit Myanmar, and in the even lower odds to do some birding, you'll want to take one or both of Robson's books: Birds of Thailand or A Guide to the Birds of Southeast Asia. Another book, The Birds of South Asia by Rasmussen, is exceptional for its plates and text, but it does not cover all the species found in Myanmar.

I'm glad to see an environmental effort coming out of a country that is rich in bird life but poor in most economic aspects. I hope the authors have the means and drive to pursue the knowledge and protection of their country's birdlife; and, perhaps have the opportunity to advance their book.

I've listed several related books below...
1) Birds of Burma, 4th ed. by Smythies
2) Birds of South Asia: Volumes 1 & 2 by Rassmussen
3) Birds of Thailand by Robson
4) A field guide to the birds of South-East Asia by King
5) A Guide to the Birds of Thailand by Lekagul
6) A Guide to the Birds of Southeast Asia by Robson
7) A Photographic Guide to the Birds of Southeast Asia by Strange
8) The Birds of the Thai-Malay Peninsula: Vol. 1-2 by Wells