A Field Guide to Birds of the West Indies, 5th Edition (Peterson Field Guides) [Paperback]

James Bond (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1993

Descriptions of more than 400 species of birds found in the islands of the West Indies include local names of birds, notes on migrants and winter residents -- as well as birds that breed there -- and voice, habitat, and range information. More than 340 illustrations aid in identification.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Roger Tory Peterson, one of the world's greatest naturalists, received every major award for ornithology, natural science, and conservation as well as numerous honorary degrees, medals, and citations, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The Peterson Identification System has been called the greatest invention since binoculars. These editions include updated material by Michael O'Brien, Paul Lehman, Bill Thompson III, Michael DiGiorgio, Larry Rosche, and Jeffrey A. Gordon.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin; 5th edition (September 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 039567669X
• ISBN-13: 978-0395676691
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,812,001 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A bit disappointing..., February 8, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: A Field Guide to the Birds of the West Indies (Peterson Field Guide) (Paperback)

I am sadly disappointed by this book. The plates are sporadically placed throughout the book, and some species of birds are not illustrated. For example, what does a Greater Antillean Grackle look like? There is a brief description in the text, but will I be able to differentiate between it and a Great-tailed Grackle?
There are no distribution maps either, so I have to rely on checklists printed from my Thayer's Birder's Diary program to determine which species to expect in, say, the Cayman Islands.
I will be field testing this guide in May 2002 and may have a better feel for the usefulness, or lack thereof, of this book. Meanwhile, studying the birds prior to my trip is a bit cumbersome due to the design of this book. In any event, would recommend a North American supplement for any trip to the region.

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Good only for 007 fans., May 17, 2006

By 

J. C. M. Bannerman (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Field Guide to the Birds of the West Indies (Peterson Field Guide) (Paperback)

You will find the Ornithologist James Bond's old employer, Philadelphia's Academy of Natural Sciences does not sell copies of this book. They will sell you Herbert Raffaele's updated version of this book instead.

Why?

Because, it is at least from the 1930. it contains information which is seriously dated. Not to mention that the pictures are mostly in black and white with only about 10 colour plates. The pictures that are contained in the volume are not very representative of the birds you will encounter.

This book is acceptable if you intend on bird watching on your caribbean holiday, but we spent much of our time guessing if we were really looking at a bird. Yes, you can take a book of Eastern US birds with you, but do you want to take a birdwatching library with you on your holiday? Not to mention there are birds which will not show up in a US Bird book (e.g., bananaquit and parrots).

You will notice that the most effusive reviews of this book come from fans of Ian Fleming's 007, not bird watchers. That is because this book is much more a piece of 007 trivia than useful to modern bird watchers.

The story of How Ian Fleming's agent was named was that Fleming was at Goldeneye, his Jamaican house, and needed a name for the protagonist of his spy novel. Fleming wanted a plain name and his eye came upon his copy of James Bond's "Birds of the West Indies", which Fleming described as his bible. Fleming thought that James Bond would be the perfect name for his spy (No, Audobon would not have been a possibility). Mr. Fleming paid the ornithologist a dollar a year for the privilege of using the name James Bond in his novels.

Serious bird watchers are better served buying Herbert Raffaele's updated version of this book or James Kavanagh's "Caribbean Birds".

You could also be sentimental and want this because it was what you used when you were young during the period that this version of "Birds of the West Indies" was the only show in town.

In case you haven't guessed, I am both a bird watcher and James Bond fan who owns two copies of this book. Consider this review with that in mind.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Review of "Birds of the West Indies.", February 22, 2004

By 

Kenneth Mulle (St. Louis, MO USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Field Guide to the Birds of the West Indies (Peterson Field Guide) (Paperback)

Unless one is collecting Peterson Field Guides, I do not recommend this book. Its organization is dated. Color plates are segregated from the bird descriptions. Many of the descriptions are accompanied by a black and white sketch. Some of the birds described lack any sketch or color plate. The book does not contain distribution maps. Redeeming aspects of the book are (1) it is small in size and (2) it includes a comprehensive list of species in the area with a written text for each.