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A Guide to the Birds of Mexico and Northern Central America
Steven N. G. Howell, Sophie Webb
$31.96
845 pages - Paperback

If you are going to Mexico or Central America, you MUST have this book. This is a completely new in-depth guide to the 1,070 bird species found in Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, and western Nicaragua. It features 71 color plates, some showing plumages never before illustrated. Also included are species accounts describing appearance, voice, habitat, behavior (including nests and eggs), and distribution, range maps with the species accounts, 180 species endemic to the region, full descriptions of North American migrants in their Mexican context, and essential background information for birding in this region.

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A Guide to the Birds of Costa Rica
F. Gary Stiles, Alexander F. Skutch
$35.00
511 pages - Paperback

Costa Rica, a country no larger than West Virginia, hosts an avifauna of more than 830 species, more than in all of North America north of Mexico. It may well be the only country in the world with as many bird species and habitats to be found in such a small area. Within two hours' drive from San Jose, one can see quetzals in highland forests, antbirds in lowland forests, or shorebirds and ibises in mangrove swamps.
This lavishly illustrated book is the most comprehensive treatment of a rich tropical avifauna ever presented in a single volume suitable for use in the field. With its full coverage of waterbirds and migrants as well as resident tropical species, and its coverage of such topics as plumages, vocalizations, food habits, nesting, and distribution, it is truly a guide to the birds themselves, not merely a guide to their identification. It is a book for people who want to know what a bird looks like, where it lives, how it behaves, what it eats, and how it reproduces.
Gary Stiles and Alexander Skutch first set the stage for the birds by briefly describing the landforms, vegetation, and climates of Costa Rica and by including photographs of some of the major types of habitat and characteristic plants, particularly those that might be unfamiliar to visitors from the North Temperate Zone. For those who want to take "that long second look" to interpret what they see, the authors discuss some aspects of evolution, ecology, and behavior of Costa Rican birds, and report on the costly and courageous conservation efforts the country is making in the face of discouraging odds. The family and species accounts that follow, covering some 400 pages, make up the bulk of the book, with 52 magnificent color plates illustrating virtually every species of Costa Rican bird, migrants as well as residents, including distinctive plumages for many of them. There are also practical tips for trips in the field and descriptions of good birding locations, with specific directions for travel by car, public transport, and on foot, as well as three maps.

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A Guide to the Birds of Panama : With Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Honduras
Robert S. Ridgely, John A., Jr. Gwynne
$30.00
534 pages - Paperback

This is the authoritative field guide to Panama birds, now completely revised and expanded to include all the birds of Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Honduras. More than 1000 species in this exceptionally rich and varied area are treated, and about 850 illustrated, most on 48 color plates (19 of these newly prepared for this volume). Illustrations of over 300 species not portrayed in the first edition are included here, mainly of species found in the Costa Rica to Honduras region but also of some northern migrants and more waterbirds. The book contains expanded and updated information on birdfinding in Panama, prepared with the assistance of two of Panama's best resident birders. There is a special section outlining exciting recent developments in Panama ornithology and conservation.

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A Field Guide to Birds of the West Indies
James Bond, Don R. Eckelberry, Arthur B. Singer
$15.96
256 pages - Paperback

This guidebook covers the birds of the Caribbean and the Bahamas. There are descriptions of more than 400 birds along with 94 color and 186 black and white illustrations. The range and habitat for each species is shown, along with key field marks. You will also want to have a US guide with you, since many of the species seen in the West Indies are also found in the United States. [Ian Fleming, the british author, saw this field guide and decided that "James Bond" would be a good name for the spy in a book he was writing.]

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A Guide to the Birds of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands
Herbert A. Raffaele, Cindy J. House, John Wiessinger
$27.50
254 pages - Paperback

This is a revised edition of a guide to the birds of the Caribbean islands of Puerto Rico and the neighboring Virgin Islands. It includes detailed accounts and illustrations of all 284 well-documented species known to occur in the region. The book also contains specific sections entitled "Biogeography" and "Conservation", to foster an appreciation of the uniqueness of the region's wildlife and to develop an awareness of local conservation issues. The section "Places to Bird" will help make the stay of short-term visitors more productive. The book also substantially updates the data on avian distribution and abundance in the region covering records through November 1988. This book can also be used to identify over 90 per cent of the birds of any of the Lesser Antilles and the majority of forms found on each of the other islands in the West Indies.