From Library Journal
Comstock: Cornell Univ. Pr. Oct. 1989. c.656p. permanent paper. illus. maps. bibliog. index. LC 88-43444. ISBN 0-8014-2287-6. $65; pap. ISBN 0-8014-9600-4. $35. ref This is a superior field guide to a country with one of the richest assortments of bird life anywhere. Written and illustrated by top experts, this book has it all: 52 excellent color plates, detailed species accounts, brief write-ups of 70 birding localities, and extensive introductory materials, often skimped on in books of this genre, on geography, climate, habitats, and conservation, accompanied by helpful photographs. Costa Rica has a fine park system and has long been the most popular Central American country for visiting naturalists. Since the destruction of natural areas in the Neotropics is finally receiving the publicity it deserves, books such as this are urgently needed. It is the first Costa Rican bird book since Paul Slud's The Birds of Costa Rica (1964. o.p.), a respected but unillustrated monograph. A splendid job. Highly recommended.
- Henry T. Armistead, Thomas Jefferson Univ. Lib., PhiladelphiaCopyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
"A superior field guide to a country with one of the richest assortments of bird life anywhere. Written and illustrated by top experts, this book has it all: 52 excellent color plates, detailed species accounts, brief write-ups of 70 birding localities, and extensive introductory materials . . . on geography, climate, habitats, and conservation, accompanied by helpful photographs."—Library Journal
"This book is much more than a field guide to the birds; it is a complete guide to birding in Costa Rica. It is so much more comprehensive and helpful than other country field guides that it sets a new standard for field guide utility and comprehensiveness."—Naturalist Review
"An excellent field guide, one that sets the industry standard . . . at least for this reviewer, who has subsequently compared every bird guide to 'Stiles and Skutch.' . . . The authors are two top experts on neo-tropical birds in general. . . . Absolutely indispensable for Costa Rica, and very useful for countries which share Costa Rican avifauna."—British Bulletin of Publications, April 2000
"This long-awaited, much-needed volume may be the best field guide I've ever seen, and it's sure to become the standard against which all new field guides will be measured. Tehcnically excellent and comprehensive, it's the kind of book readers will not put down at the end of the day, but will savor in the evenings back at camp."—Marcy F. Lawton, University of Alabama
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