Princeton University Press has recently released the second edition of the Birds of Peru by Thomas Schulenberg, Douglas Stotz, Daniel Lane, John O’Neill and the late Ted Parker. This edition is a revised version of the award-winning 2007 first edition.
This guide covers all of the 1,817 species found in Peru. Subspecies, sexes and morphs are illustrated with O’Neill and Lane’s appealing illustrations. Twenty-five species not covered in the first edition are included. Additional plates are included in the second edition as well.
This guide is a model for presenting lots of information in a minimum of space. The organization follows the usual field guide format with text on the left-hand page and illustrations of those species described on the right. At the top of each left-hand page, a paragraph is devoted to all the species (usually five or six) on that page. Each species is then covered with data on length and concise text on distribution, habitat, behavior and identification feature. Information on voice and non-vocal sounds (like wing whistles in some doves) is provided as well. A small map is given for each species in the left-hand margin.
For me, a mark of a great field guide is my desire to pick the guide up and read random pages. In short, to hold the book. This guide certainly qualifies in that regard. It is a treasure.
At 664 pages, the book is a substantial volume. But at 5.75 x 8.5 inches in size, the book can be taken into the field in a small shoulder or lumbar pack or even in a generous vest pocket.
Having returned recently from a birding trip to Ecuador, I realize now that I should have carried a copy of Birds of Peru with me in the field. There are only 14 species of endemic birds in Ecuador so the vast majority of the Ecuadorean avifauna is covered in the Birds of Peru. The Birds of Peru is certainly easier to carry into the field than the voluminous guide to the birds of Ecuador written by Robert Ridgely and Paul Greenfield.