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A Photographic Guide to Birds of Thailand
by Michael Webster & Chew Yen Fook

Field Check-List of Thai Birds Title: A Photographic Guide to Birds of Thailand

Publisher:
Bird Conservation Society of Thailand, 1999

ISBN: 978-85895-5-2

Authors: Michael Webster & Chew Yen Fook

The small size of this book suggests that it is a field guide, however, do not fall into this trap as fewer than 300 species are pictured within it which is a long way short of the 1000+ species that have been recorded in Thailand.

The way this book is set out with reference tabs in the page corners would indeed be useful if this were a full identification guide, but in the absence of more than 700 species it seems a bit of a waste of a good idea. Despite this limitation the book does have a number of good points. The original low price of this publication means it is ideal if considering a trip to Thailand in order to see which bird families are likely to be encountered before deciding whether to book a trip and purchase a more expensive field guide. In fact the information in the first section, about bird finding, habitats and birding sites, fills the void that is created by the lack of introduction in Craig Robson's "A Field Guide to the Birds of Thailand", so would be an ideal purchase to familiarize oneself with the country's ornithology before visiting.

Any faults aside this book is a pleasant addition to any birder's library for the nice collection of photographs it contains.



Score: 5/10

 
Other Relevant Books

Birds of ThailandBirds 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 anticipating future splits.

Birds of Southeast AsiaBirds of Southeast Asia - This field guide covers all of the species found in all countries of mainland Southeast Asia and this is the most up to date version of the book, which was published in 2011. A great guide for those traveling in several countries but a little tricky to use in the field due to its layout. Still the best field guide for the whole region though.

Bird Guide of ThailandBird Guide of Thailand - This pioneering field guide, first published in 1974, covers off 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.

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