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Book Reviews

There are a large number of books available that are of interest and of use to birders either visiting or living in Thailand and here I have reviewed some fo them to make it easier to decide which ones to buy.

Getting your Book Reviewed: If you are a publisher or author who would like to get your book featured here I will be happy to write an honest review of it. More information here - Book Review Policy.

Thailand Field Guides

Birds of Thailand

Title: Birds of Thailand
Published: 2018
Author: Uthai Treesucorn & Wich'yanan Limparungpatthanakij
An great field guide with new plates and updated range maps which does a very good job of presenting the birds clearly while making it relevent to whatever taxonomic authority birders may be following. The inclusion of all subspecies known in Thailand is excellent; this is the field guide to have in Thailand, expensive though. Read full review - Birds of Thailand.

A Field Guide to the Birds of Thailand

Title: A Field Guide to the Birds of Thailand
Published: 2002
Author: Craig Robson
This was an exciting field guide when it was first published but despite many reprints (often with misleading publication dates ascribed to them) it has never been updated. Inconsistancies in the style of the plates is a problem but this is still a useable book and currently far cheaper than the most up-to-date guide. Read full review - A Field Guide to the Birds of Thailand.

A Guide to the Birds of Thailand

Title: A Guide to the Birds of Thailand
Published: 1991
Author: Philip D. Round & Boonsong Lekagul
A ground-breaking book on publication with easy to refer to plates and indexes, unfortunately it is now out-of-date regarding Thailand's full avifauna. The excellent and knowledgeable texts still make it a useful addition to a birder's library and it remains rather more informative than some newer publications. Read full review - A Guide to the Birds of Thailand.

Thailand Birding

Field Check-List to Thai Birds

Title: The Birds of the Bangkok Area
Published: 2008
Author: Philip D. Round
The most thorough guide to the birds known to occur in the lower central plains of Thailand with species accounts and notes on occurrence for 237 species. This is not a field guide, rather a guide to the surviving habitats, bird watching and ornithology within the area, illustrated with photographs, maps and colour plates. Read full review - The Birds of the Bangkok Area.

Field Check-List to Thai Birds

Title: Field Check-List of Thai Birds
Published: 2000
Author: Philip D. Round
A small checklist that fits in the pocket and cross-references both Robson (2002) as well as Round & Lekagul (1991). Unfortunately, this publication is very much out of date with a large number of additions to be made to it that cannot fit into the section included for new additions. This is still of interest to collectors of Thai ornithological books though. Read full review - Field Check-List of Thai Birds.

Field Check-List to Thai Birds

Title: A Photographic Guide to Birds of Thailand
Published: 1999
Author: Micahel Webster & Chew Yen Fook
This is a cheap photographic guide that fits in the hand and serves as a pleasant introduction to the birds of Thailand. However, it contains fewer than half of the species found in the country and should not be mistaken for a field guide. A nice collection of photographs and an interesting introduction are the main points of interest. Read full review - A Photographic Guide to Birds of Thailand.

Thailand Relevant Bird Family Books

Gulls of Europe, Asia & North America

Title: Gulls of Europe, Asia & North America
Published: 2004
Author: Klaus Malling Olsen & Hans Larsson
This wonderful reference book contains numerous plates, lots of photographs and long, detailed accounts of each species and potentially split taxon of all the gulls in the defined region. An essential publication for anyone attempting to identify species in this difficult group. Read my full review - Gulls of Europe, Asia & North America.

Pipits and Wagtails

Title: Pipits and Wagtails
Published: 2003
Author: Per Alstrom & Krister Mild
This publication does an excellent job of detailing the plumages of difficult to identify Pipits and all of the subspecies of the various Wagtails using superbly-drawn plates and a collection of photographs. Comprehensive text on each taxon accompanies the pictures to complete a great book. Read my full review - Pipits and Wagtails.

Europe, Asia & North America

Title: Raptors of the World
Published: 2001
Author: James Ferguson-Lees & David A. Christie
Without a doubt the best book for reference and field identification of all the raptors in the world. With plates detailing the plumage of all species perched and in flight it sets the bar for publications dealing with this difficult group of species. More of a reference book but small enough to be taken into the field. Read my full review - Raptors of the World.

Shorebirds

Title: Shorebirds: An Identification Guide
Published: 1991
Author: Peter Hayman & John Marchant
Although it is an old book this is still my favourite publication for shorebirds with all subspecies of every one of the world's shorebirds illustrated in well-laid out plates. Range maps and detailed text complete the book, providing a lot of information about each species. Althoigh this is a reference book, it is small enough to be taken out into the field. Read my full review - Shorebirds: An Identification Guide.

Southeast Asia Field Guides

Birds of Cambodia

Title: Birds of Cambodia
Published: 2019
Author: Cambodia Bird Guide Association
The latest in this series of excellent field guides to the region by Lynx Edicions, the publishers of the Handbook to the Birds of the World. This is the first guide to the birds of Cambodia to be published in English and is an essential addition to a birder's library for those heading to see some of Southeast Asia's rarest birds. Read my full review - Birds of Cambodia.

Birds of Malaysia

Title: Birds of Malaysia
Published: 2020
Author: Chong Leong Puan, Geoffrey Davison & Kim Chye Lim
With most field guides dealing with only Peninsula Malaysia or Borneo this is a very welcome addition to the birding literature for visitors to this bird-rich country. Another book in the Lynx Edicions series of field guides this is likely to become the essential book for Malaysia and a useful addition to any birder who spends time in Southeast Asia. Read my full review - Birds of Malaysia.

Birds of Vietnam

Title: Birds of Vietnam
Published: 2018
Author: Richard Craik & Le Quy Minh
This is the first ever field guide published in the English language that is devoted to the birds of Vietnam, a country with high number of endemic species. One of the Lynx Edicions series of field guides it is excellent and essential for anyone birding in Vietnam and very informative to birders throughout South East Asia. Read my full review - Birds of Vietnam.

A Guide to the Birds of Southeast Asia

Title: A Guide to the Birds of Southeast Asia
Published: 2000
Author: Craig Robson
Over the years this guide has been republished with a number of different covers but apart from one updated version, the content remains the same. This is still a very good book for those traveling and birding through several countries on mainland Southeast Asia with all but the most recent splits/additons to the region included. Read my full review - A Guide to the Birds of Southeast Asia.

Other Thailand Wildlife Books

The Large Mammals of Thailand

Title: The Large Mammals of Thailand
Published: 2003
Author: John Parr
Thailand is blessed with a large number of mammal species, although most are difficult to see. This book deals with all the mammals excluding bats and small rodents but including squirrels, treeshrews and cetaceans. This informative little book is great for tucking into a pocket when out birding for reference when seeing mammals along the way. Read the full review here - The Large Mammals of Thailand.

Wild Thailand

Title: Wild Thailand
Published: 1996
Author: Belinda Stewart-Cox & Gerald Cubitt
This is a beautiful coffee-table book filled with photographs of Thailand's amazing wildlife and interesting narrative about them and the habitats in which they occur. This book deals with Thailand's wild areas on a region by region basis, including national parks and wildlife sanctuaries and is an excellent introduction to the wildlife of the country. Read the full review here - Wild Thailand.

 


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Print on demand T-shirts with original designs featuring the Birds of Thailand available now - Thaibirding T-Shirt Store

Black-and-yellow BroadbillDownload a full checklist of the birds of Thailand including all distinct subspecies that are potential splits for the future.

Malayan Banded PittaBird Watching Trips in Thailand - Tailor-made birding tours in Northern, Central & Southern Thailand for groups of all sizes.

Blue-faced MalkohaKazakhstan/Kyrgyzstan, 25th May - 7th June 2024 - Pallas's Sandgrouse, Ibisbill, Black Lark, White-browed Tit Warbler, Saxaul Sparrow, Caspian Plover: £3850 - 1 space

Christmas Island FrigatebirdWest Java & Sumatra, 1-24th August 2024 - Schneider's Pitta, Large Frogmouth, Christmas Island Frigatebird, Javan Banded Pitta, Sumatran Trogon: £6275 - 4 spaces

Blue-faced MalkohaSri Lanka, 20th Nov - 2nd Dec 2024 - Serendib Scops Owl, Indian Pitta, Malabar Trogon, Spot-winged Thrush, Sri Lanka Blue Magpie, Pied Thrush: £3575

Steller's Sea EagleSouth Korea, 3-15th January 2025 - Steller's Sea Eagle, Relict Gull, Red-crowned Crane, White-naped Crane, Baikal Teal, Solitary Snipe, Asian Rosy Finch: £3950

Black-headed WoodpeckerCambodia, 12-26th March 2025 - Giant Ibis, Bar-bellied Pitta, Greater Adjutant, Mekong Wagtail, Cambodian Tailorbird, White-rumped Vulture: £4050

Bar-bellied PittaSouth Vietnam, 29th Mar - 9th Apr 2025 - Bar-bellied Pitta, Vietnamese Cutia, Collared Laughingthrush, Vietnamese Grenfinch, Blue-rumped Pitta: £3100

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