[I]f any places needed a field guide, it was Peru, second only to Columbia as the most bird-rich country in the world . . . . Now, 40 years after he first envisioned a field guide, [John] O'Neill and his principal co-authors, Tom Schulenberg and Doug Stotz, have finally completed the guide against which all others for the New World tropics will be judged . . . .
The Birds of Peru's nearly 4,000 color illustrations alone--more than double that of any other single-country neotropics guide--set it apart . . . . [It] is the culmination of an incredible amount of fieldwork, but that doesn't mean the exploration is finished . . . . This book isn't the end; it's really the beginning
(
Don Stap Audubon Magazine )
Any North American birder will be green with envy paging through this volume. The first comprehensive field guide to the birds of Peru, it describes nearly 1,800 species--compared to the 600 or so in the continental U.S.
(
T.C. Williams Choice )
Ornithologists, birders, conservation biologists, naturalists, ecotourism leaders and companies, and bird photographers will be very pleased to have available this invaluable field guide which is a landmark addition to Peruvian ornithology and birding. The book will be an essential addition to the libraries of these people, and also should be added to the collections of academic and larger public libraries. The authors, artists, and publisher deserve very high praise for producing an essential and necessary reference book about Peru's avifauna as well as a stunningly beautiful, book that is a joy to look at and cherish with unreserved pleasure. Most highly recommended.
(
International Hawkwatcher )
Peru has long needed a field guide that accurately and concisely deals with the preponderance of birds within its borders. When I finally got my hands on a finished copy of this book, what I found was a field guide that is both useable and beautiful. . . . Amazingly, the authors have managed to fit everything into a guide that's only slightly larger than your typical
National Geographic Guide to the Birds of North America, and it covers over twice as many species.
(
Matt Brooks Vermillion Flycatcher )
Owners of bird guides to other South American countries will find this publication extremely valuable for its coverage of the numerous species found only in Peru. Just flipping through the pages of this volume will soon make anyone with an interest in tropical nature dream of seeing these birds in their native haunts.
(
Robert Bleiweiss Quarterly Review of Biology )
I strongly recommend this guide. It is essential for anyone visiting Peru, Bolivia, or the western Amazon. I anticipate that it will add fuel to the boom in research and ecotourism in this magnificent country. It should be owned by all libraries, birdwatchers, serious ecotourists, and researchers who plan to visit Peru. It is a fitting monument to the work of all the authors, especially Ted Parker, who was responsible for so many of the fundamental insights into the natural history of the birds of this . . . most diverse of all countries.
(
Scott K. Robinson Auk )
Birds of Peru is an excellent guide that packs a lot of information into a modest sized book. . . . Anyone who intends to bird Peru must have a copy of this book.
(
Frederic Brock Wildlife Activist )
I think this is a great resource that will benefit any traveling birder. If I could only own one it would be this latest field guide. Schulenberg et al. is easier to read, information is more accessible, and the plates are generally more accurate and reflective of the species.
(
Geoff Carpentier Newsletter of the Ontario Field Ornithologists )
This book will please birders and biologists living in or visiting Peru. It is also useful beyond the borders of Peru into adjacent areas of South America. It is a little on the heavy side for dragging through a hot jungle, but what else can you expect with such an enormous bird list.
(
Roy John Canadian Field Naturalist )
