Customer Reviews

Birds of the Seychelles (Princeton Field Guides)

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This is a great book. I am originally from the Seychelles, and I am going back to visit this summer with my family. I am a recent birder, and I am very much looking forward to using this book to help identify the birds there. The book has beautiful illustrations and is very informative. I like that it includes general maps of the islands, a list of birds most likely to be found at the different islands, a glossary of terms, a bird checklist, and a list and description of the plants mentioned in the book. The book is set up so that you have a general overview with illustrations at the beginning, and then there are more details for each bird in the back. This can be good when you just want to find a bird quickly to ID it but then read more about it later. I would highly recommend this book if you are looking for one specific to the Seychelles.

Basics: 2001, softcover, 320 pages, 53 color plates, 250 species, no range maps

This is definitely the best book available for the birds of the Seychelles. It covers every bird known to visit this island group. The first half of the book holds the 53 plates while the second half is dedicated to individual species accounts.

The plates are done very well. Every bird is illustrated in 3-7 plumages or positions. These illustrations depict gender, age, and seasonal variations along with perched, in-flight, or displaying postures. As an example, the three species of fody are shown with 17 different illustrations. No other book comes close to this. There are also another 17 b&w drawings contained within the text to show more detail and species comparisons.

Each bird is given extensive coverage in the species accounts. Almost half of the text is dedicated to a description of the bird with the remaining text covering voice, behavior, and range. The endemic species receive more in-depth information about breeding, threats, and conservation.

I found the accounts to be very thorough, such as describing the confusing warbler species very well. The authors did a good job at covering the subspecies and comparing similar species.

For a birding visit to the Seychelles, this book contains it all and is the only one you'll need.

Other Related Books:
1) Birds of the Indian Ocean Islands by Sinclair/Langrand
2) The Birds of Seychelles and Outlying Islands by Penny
3) The Beautiful Birds of Seychelles by Skerrett
4) Birds of Seychelles by Beamish