Customer Reviews

A Field Guide to the Birds of Sri Lanka

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

 

 

For the current traveller this is probably the best identification guide you can take with you. The distribution maps are a bit generalised but they give a general idea, and changes in distribution and status since the time of such writers like Henry have been updated.

The illustrations throughout are thorough and the book does its best to help you distinguish between similar looking birds. More on vocalisations would have been helpful.

An invaluable and well illustrated reference overall.

Basics: 1999, softcover, 219 pages, 48 color plates of 426 species, range maps

Of the few field guides that cover only Sri Lanka, this is easily the best book for several reasons. One, it's the only Sri Lanka guide to illustrate all the birds of the island instead of being limited to just the resident birds. Two, the artistry is very good and many more plumages are displayed. And, three, the text contains relatively more information for identification and offers tips to distinguish between the similar species.

Each plate contains between 4 and 15 different species with most plates having about 10. To illustrate these species, each plate may have anywhere between 15 and 40 different illustrations. As an extreme, the plate for the harriers contains only 4 species yet over 40 different illustrations; thus, making all the images slightly small. The high number of small illustrations on one page makes for a rather crowded or busy looking page. This same scenario is true for most of the plates showing the raptors, gulls, terns, and shorebirds. However, I'll take a slightly crammed plate with all the many plumages over a more limited selection of views.

Across from each plate are brief notes (1-4 lines) that address the identification of the bird. A small range map of Sri Lanka is also supplied. Due to the small size of the island -- and of the map on the page -- the ranges are generalized and look much the same between all the birds. These maps are only somewhat useful for making generalizations of the bird's distribution.

The final two-thirds of the book contains the species accounts. Each bird receives a few short paragraphs with the bulk of information dedicated to identifying the bird and comparing it to similar species. This information offers some nice detail, providing good notes to identify the bird. Other brief information is given for the voice, status/distribution, habitat, and range.

Any birding done in Sri Lanka should use this book as the primary reference. It is both a good book and, the best one dedicated to just Sri Lanka. A few other all-India books would also work, but the vast number of species included would be overkill for the island. -- (written by Jack, shown with sample pages at Avian Review, October 2008)

I've listed several related books below...
1) Field Guide to the Birds of Sri Lanka by Kotagama/Fernando
2) A Photographic Guide to Birds of Sri Lanka by Wijeyeratne et al.
3) A Guide to the Birds of Ceylon by Henry
4) A History of the Birds of Ceylon by Legge
5) A Guide to the Birds of India... by Grimmett/Inskipp
6) Birds of India... by Grimmett/Inskipp
7) Birds of Southern India by Grimmett/Inskipp
8) A Field Guide to the Birds of the Indian Subcontinent by Kazmierczak
9) A Photographic Guide to the Birds of India by Grewal/Harvey/Pfister

I have just come back from three weeks in Sri Lanka. The information and explanations good and clear. The drawings are excellent. But the Binding, within four days in the humidity of Sri Lanka the pictures were coming away from the binding and after three weeks one third of the pictures are detached. If there is one, buy the hardback.

The book arrived before expected - great service.
The book is a convenient field size.
The organization is acceptable, with detailed bird info separated from plates.
The plates and maps are associated together.
A useful field guide, I am pleased with the purchase.