The Caribbean islands of Trinidad and Tobago provide a fascinating opportunity for anyone interested in natural history, particularly birds. Trinidad's position, a mere ten miles from the South American mainland, means that its flora and fauna are essentially continental by nature. This second edition has been completely revised and updated and features 106 species of birds.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
New photos make this book,
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This review is from: Birds of Trinidad and Tobago (Macmillan Caribbean Natural History) (Paperback)
Richard Ffrench's book has been the standard text on birds of Trinidad and Tobago for many years. This new edition is taken to a whole new level by the use of superb photos by Trinidad's foremost wildlife photographer, Roger Neckles. it is worth buying for the photos alone.
3.0 out of 5 stars
This might not be the Ffrench Field Guide you're looking for,
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This review is from: Birds of Trinidad and Tobago (Macmillan Caribbean Natural History) (Paperback)
This is a good book for what it is, but don't order this if you're looking for a field guide. Both Ffrench and Kenefick have good field guides, but this slim volume is a look at only selected birds for Trinidad and Tobago. If you want highlights of some of the birds you're likely to see in the different biomes of T&T, this works, but if you're looking for a book to help identify the birds of T&T, look for Kenefick or the other Ffrench - both of which are in the $40+ range if I recall.
2.0 out of 5 stars
A beginner's guide for a subset of birds (106 of 450+),
By Rudy (Phoenix, AZ) - See all my reviews
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Birds of Trinidad and Tobago (Macmillan Caribbean Natural History) (Paperback)
Richard Ffrench's book is recommended everywhere and I didn't hesitate buying it. The pictures are for the most part fine, some even beautiful (Rufous-brested Hermit, Speckled Tanager) but others are visibly blurry (Barred Antshrike), dark (Yellow-chinned Spinetail), show little of the bird's body (American Pygmy kingfisher), or lack any actual color information (Gray-breasted Martin). These, and there are numerous other examples, don't necessarily impede an experienced birder from making an ID, but I can equivocally state that I would NOT buy this book just for the plates. The Scarlet Ibis actually looks dull in the included photograph.
The book covers 106 of the ~450 species found in Trinidad and Tobago and predominantly pictures only the males, females getting throwaway description blurbs such as, "inconspicuous green all over" or sometimes not even being mentioned at all (Red-legged Honeycreeper). While it is true that the males are generally the most colorful ones and thus attract the most interest, it's nearly unacceptable for any even amateur birder to not have any clue what a female MIGHT look like! What is good is that the authors sometimes give advice as to where you might find this bird or that and the size information listed (just bird height) is useful in the field. Overall, the book offers little information, presents only 1/4 of the birds found in Trinidad & Tobago, the organization of the book is confusing for any birder (arranged by habitat such as "cultivated land with large trees" (what about cultivated land with medium trees? What is their definition of large trees?), not family), gives almost no female information (you could make the argument it thus only has information on 1/8 of the birds you could encounter), and the pictures are not fantastic and in some cases amateur looking. On the bright side, if the bird is included, it does offer the ability to pair bird names with a picture. I'm not thrilled. I'm not sure if the other 3 reviewers were affiliated with the authors or are just getting into birding but I can say that of the 9 birding books I own, this is by far the poorest and while it does do some things okay, it nevertheless does not deserve a 5 star rating.
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First Sentence:
Among the islands of the West Indies, Trinidad and Tobago provide a fascinating opportunity for anyone interested in natural history, particularly birds. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
shiny cowbird, lower underparts, marshes and reservoirs, nesting duties, two white eggs, immature birds, light woodland Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Northern Range, North America, West Indies, Caroni Swamp, South America, Waller Field, Blue-gray Tanager, Port of Spain, Asa Wright Nature Centre Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Among the islands of the West Indies, Trinidad and Tobago provide a fascinating opportunity for anyone interested in natural history, particularly birds. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
shiny cowbird, lower underparts, marshes and reservoirs, nesting duties, two white eggs, immature birds, light woodland Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Northern Range, North America, West Indies, Caroni Swamp, South America, Waller Field, Blue-gray Tanager, Port of Spain, Asa Wright Nature Centre Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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