Vol 53, 2001 - Northern State University

- --"only one genus of the family Sylviidae. Species in this genus are notoriously difficultto identify and are restricted to the Old World.Thrushes begins with a relatively short introduction, which covers the scopeand organization of the book. It includes sections on taxonomy and behavior,molt and migration. All the genera of the family are reviewed. A few pages aredevoted to behavior and conservation. These 40 pages are sparsely illustratedwith black and white drawings.Sixty color plates follow the introductory remarks. These paintings give anexcellent review of the thrushes, since opposite each plate are small range mapsand short, written descriptions of the birds portrayed. Thus, the reader can easilyreview the world's thrushes, their appearance and distribution. The platesoccasionally show immature birds and various races not often illustrated in fieldguides. For the American Robin, for example, one female and one immature areshown, along with adults of five races. Not all the field marks of these races,however, are demonstrated. None of the examples shows racial variation in robinwhite tail spots, or the spots at all for that matter. Many of the plates have verydark backgrounds, which I think detracts from the birds.Aside from a literature cited section and an index, species accounts comprisethe remainder of the book. Each account covers nomenclature, identification,taxonomy, variation, voice, distribution, habitat, behavior, breeding, molt,measurements, and references. Overall, the book should be a valuable referenceto anyone wishing to learn more about this globally distributed bird family.Sylvia Warblers covers a single genus rather than a family of birds, and,perhaps consequently, devotes much more detail to the birds it covers. Thebook's bulk consists mainly of species accounts. Within each account are colorphotographs and illustrations of each species, showing many plumage andgeographical variations (20 color plates and 546 photographs). Large, full-pagemaps, clearly show the ranges of even the races of the various species. The text isalso illustrated with many black and white drawings, demonstrating behavior andwing formulae. Sonagrams describe vocalizations and many charts comparemeasurements.The accounts include a general introduction to each species, seasonal identificationnotes, and interesting sections on field identification, including similarspecies and "major pitfalls." The accounts continue with voice, identification inthe hand, taxonomy, molt, age and sex. Finally general biology and ecology, includingdiet,behavior, and population trends are covered.No serious birder traveling to Europe or western Asia will want to be withoutthis text. Others may be inspired by its detailed coverage of a single avian genus.Clearlythis book is in a class by itself. Dan Tallman, Northern State University,Aberdeen, SD 57401.SOUTHDAKOTA BIRD NOTES 53(3): 51 SEPTEMBER 2001