This classic book was the first guide to the region featuring
all species in 135 colour plates and published in 1991 it
is still a useful tool when birding in Thailand. Several features
of this book were excellent innovations; the key to bird groups
on the opening page being one with the inclusion of the Thai
names for each species being another, something which has
created an interest in the local population and ultimately
has contributed to the rise of bird watching and conservation
amongst Thais.
A very
interesting feature of this book is that the first 34 pages
are devoted to providing information on habitat types, regional
highlights and gives some indication to the key birding sites
within the country and some of the tips given in this section
are very useful indeed.
The illustrations
in this guide are adequate for their purpose, usually capture
the correct pose of the birds and attempt to point out some
of the diagnostic features of most species. Some of the illustrations
seem a little "cartoonish" but in actuality are
extremely useful for identification, more so than many more
detailed illustrations in other books; the picture of Bay
Owl is a good example of this. Some bird families could have
been dealt with better though, particularly the Hornbills;
the size and magnificence of these birds doesn't come across
at all, although they are always adequate for identification.
The only group of birds that aren't illustrated comprehensively
enough to always identify birds seen in the field is the raptors,
which don't show enough plumage variations for those not already
competant with these difficult species to confidently make
an identification.
The text for each species is not particularly extensive, probably
due to neccessity considering the number of species involved,
but is very selective in the information it gives; only giving
call descriptions where sensible and describing behaviour
that is helpful in identification. An indication of the abundance
of the species is given, which can be very useful, but can
often be slightly out of date. Another helpful inclusion is
that of describing the habitat and altitudes where the species
can typically be found.
The main
weakness of this pioneering book is the fact that it has never
been updated, so that much of the information is out of date;
particularly the distribution maps and abundance. Since publication
a large number of species have been added to the Thai list
and a number of others have been split; obviously these are
not included in this book and some species are referred to
by their old, pre-split, names which may sometimes prevent
correct identification.
Overall this is a good book which I still consider useful
to any birders in Thailand despite the fact that it is out
of date and does not now contain a full set of Thailand's
birds. There are still copies of this classic book available
online - Birds
of Thailand
Score: 7/10
Other Relevant Books
Birds
of Thailand - Published in 2018 this field guide
was based on the taxonomy used in Handbook of the Birds
of the World with several new plates created on consultation
with the authors. Inclusion of all subspecies know to occur
in Thailand makes this book excellent as it makes it relevant
to all taxonomies while antipating future splits.
Birds
of Southeast Asia - This field guide covers the
entire range of known species found in all countries of
mainland Southeast Asia and this is the most up to date
version of the book, published in 2011. Great for those
traveling in several countries but a little tricky to use
in the field due to its layout, although it is still the
best guide to the whole region.
Bird
Guide of Thailand - This pioneering field guide,
first published in 1974, covers the species known in Thailand
at that time, making it far from complete from the avifauna
currently known. However, this is still a nice book and
certainly one that Thailand birders will want to add to
their collection, containing useful species accounts.
Title:
Birds
of Thailand
Birds
of Southeast Asia
Bird
Guide of Thailand
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