Birds of the Philippines (A Photographic Guide) [Paperback]

Tim Fisher (Author), Nicel Hicks (Author)

Book Description

Series: A Photographic Guide | Publication Date: February 1, 2001

Pocket-sized field guide to 218 common and distinctive species of the birds of the Philippines. Short descriptive accounts and color photographs with brief comments on calls, habits and/or habitat. 226 color photos, and map.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Ralph Curtis Publishing (February 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0883590514
• ISBN-13: 978-0883590515
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 3.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,096,900 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars OK photo guide; acceptable text; helpful with another book, September 7, 2008

By 

Soleglad (Arizona, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Birds of the Philippines (A Photographic Guide) (Paperback)

Basics: 2000, softcover, 144 pages, color photos of 214 species, no range maps

Like others of its kind, this compact guide provides color photos for 214 species found on the islands of The Philippines. This represents about 1/3 of the nearly 570 birds found here. A fair sampling of species from the various families is given.

These photos are pretty good for 85% of the birds, despite all of them being somewhat small as necessitated by the size of the book. Just one photo is given for each bird. For the other 15% of the birds, these photos show a pose from behind or below that is not helpful or, a pose that does not show the necessary field marks well enough. Some of the photos are too dark, too distant, or too grainy. A couple of birds are slightly obscured by foliage.

The text is a brief paragraph that focuses primarily on the description of the bird to aid in identification. This will be helpful some of the time. For some birds, a comparison is made to a similar species. Some additional short notes are offered on behavior, habitat, or voice.

Use this guide like you should all its similar congeners - only as a practice tool in conjunction with a complete field guide.

I've listed several related books below...
1) A Guide to the Birds of the Philippines by Kennedy et al.
2) Birds of the Philippines by Gonzales/Rees
3) Philippine Birds by du Pont
4) Birds of New Guinea et al.
5) Birds of New Guinea and the Bismarck Archipelago by Coates
6) A Field Guide to the Birds of West Malaysia and Singapore by Jeyarajasingam/Pearson
7) A Photographic Guide to the Birds of Indonesia by Strange
8) A Guide to the Birds of Wallacea by Coates/Bishop

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exactly what I needed!, January 30, 2010

By 

L. Ledgerwood - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Birds of the Philippines (A Photographic Guide) (Paperback)

This book was exactly what I needed for casual birding during a two week trip to the Philippines. It was inexpensive but had great color photos and good written descriptions that enabled me to easily identify birds sighted. It includes 214 of the 570 known species. It was even the perfect size - a little narrower than the average paperback book so that it could easily slide into my pants pocket.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A very handy pocket guide much needed for the Philippines, April 20, 2008

By 

W. Ruscher (Rochester, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Birds of the Philippines (A Photographic Guide) (Paperback)

I'm very happy I purchased this book. It includes the most commonly seen bird species(but not all the species)in the Philippines. The pictures are of real birds and not drawings. Good descriptions of the birds and field markings, and an idea where to find them. Also, an overview of the best birding areas in the country. This pocket guide will be with me on my next trip over.