When this field guide was first published it was a must-have
for any bird watcher in Thailand for the fact that it was
the most up-to-date book for the region, including the many
additions to the Thai list that had been made since the publication
of previous guides. However, these days this book has become
woefully out of date and as other field guides have set new
standards, the layout of this publication has proven problematic.
The 128 colour plates are drawn in great detail while the
book itself is of a weight and size that lends itself to efficient
use in the field. In many cases the detailed illustrations
make identification of certain species much easier than in
the past; the Birds of Prey, Hawk Cuckoos and Reed Warblers
are examples of this. However, in some cases the illustrations,
although detailed, have not captured the true shape of the
species and have placed them in poses atypical of their habits.
This should be kept in mind particularly when identifying
Terns as it seems there has been some distortion in the printing
process and the pictures of Bay Owl and Large Wren Babbler
are especially poor. Another problem with the illustrations
is that they are often far duller than the birds appear in
real life. This is an artifice of using faded skins and pre-digital
photographs for reference by artists who, in many cases, had
not seen the birds they were painting.
Space appears to have limited the amount of text in this
book which means that there is no foreword regarding habitats
or birding conditions in Thailand, although species text is
mostly concise and is of a size which can be easily read.
Occasionally, the species text contains lengthy descriptions
of bird calls which I personally find virtually useless and
it would often be better to include more information on behaviour.
Information on whether a bird is common or rare is not included
at all! I find the species text of very low quality.
The main complaints users have of this field guide is the
haphazard way it is layed out, with illustrations cramped
into the pages and poorly annotated. Some birders still use
this field guide in Thailand because it is fairly cheap and
easy to obtain but since my copy fell apart I do not even
own a copy of this now substandard guide. There nearly 200
species added to the Thai list since this book was published
and many more name changes, rendering this book extremely
confusing. I would strongly recommend not buying this book
and instead check out my review for the newer Birds
of Thailand published by Lynx Edicions.
Score: 5/10
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.
Birds
of Thailand
Birds
of Southeast Asia
Bird
Guide of Thailand
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