Customer Reviews

Caribbean Birds: An Introduction to Familiar Species (International Nature Guides)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I bought this pamphlet (it's not a book but a fold-out laminated sheet) as well as the Princeton Birds of the West Indies Guide for taking on a cruise to the Caribbean. My plan was to carry this in my backpack during the day in case I see a bird and want to look it up, and to leave the Princeton guide in the cabin. In the end though I ended up using just the Princeton guide, even though I took this pamphlet with me in the field, and here's why: it turns out most of the birds in the Caribbean each appear only on certain islands, or sometimes just on a single island, and the species from different islands can look very similar. So unless you're very good at distinguishing similar birds by their looks, you really need a book that tells you the range of the birds. It also helps to know how common the birds are, which the Princeton guide also tells you; that way if you saw a dozen of a bird during a stroll through a town and you think it's a species that's listed as very rare in the book, you'll know you need to double-check your hypothesis. I'm very much a beginner at bird identification, but with the Princeton information about the range I could usually figure out which of several similar bird species I saw, because usually only one of them was both common and found on the island we were visiting. I'd say save your money and get the Princeton book instead of this pamphlet.

I thought this guide was very helpful,well done, and inexpensive. It is fully laminated, and folded such that it is easily carried in your pocket into the field for "birding". I can't imagine anyone would be unhappy with this purchase for the price. mg

I was happy with this small, laminated bird guide. I was able to identify birds on St. Croix (USVI). The larger comprehensive bird books can stay at home or in the hotel room.

This is a great lamininated card to take with you outside. I thought I was ordering a book, but it's more like a book jacket. When you open it up, there are pictures with bird names. No full descriptions or pages. In the picture, it looks like a book, so beware, it's just a folded card.

This is NOT a bird BOOK. It is a fold out guide. It covers a few dozen birds with only one picture per bird and no commentary. It is rugged and easy to pack. With these limitations it may be of some casual use to some people.

Great book at fraction of original price. Really helped me out on my trip. Very informative. In fact I bought two of these, one for me and one for friends that went on trip with us.