Moult is a pivotal stage in the annual cycle of all birds and understanding the effect of moult strategy on plumage is an essential tool for ageing birds in the field for birdwatchers and ringers alike. The first edition of Moult and Ageing of European Passerines was published in 1994 after 16 years of collecting data from 140,000 birds captured at ringing stations in Switzerland and elsewhere in Europe, as well as specimens held at several European natural history museums. High quality colour photographs illustrating different moult stages for 58 species of European passerine accompanied a detailed guide to understanding the function of moult, different moult strategies and how the quality of different feather generations can be used to age live birds. Needless to say, before selling out, the book was in high demand and remains so on the second-hand marketplace today. The long awaited second edition builds upon this already high bar by not only incorporating data on moult from another 40,000 birds but also adds another 16 new species accounts. The introductory sections incorporate much new material drawing on the findings of field observations and research carried out over the quarter of a century that has passed since the publication of the first edition. The first part of this phenomenal, large format guide provides a comprehensive overview of moult with chapters on the function and consequence of moult; terminology and methods in moult research – new for the second edition; adult moult; and moult during the first year of life. There is significant focus on moult sequence and strategies, and how moult fits in with other events occurring within the annual cycle. Part two concentrates on the principle of employing an understanding of moult strategy, and the identification of different feather generations in the wing, to ageing birds in the field. The bulk of this part however, and indeed the book, is comprised of the species accounts for 74 species of passerine occurring in Europe; replete with informative descriptions of the extent of moult at different life stages and how this knowledge may be applied to ageing individuals encountered in the field. Uniquely amongst ageing and sexing guides the species accounts include an extensive series of colour photographs which present readers with examples of juvenile and adult plumages illustrating post-juvenile, post-breeding and pre-breeding moult where appropriate. The guide clearly distils decades worth of personal ringing data and from that perspective it makes an excellent reference work for any ringer not already fortunate enough to own the first edition of this legendary work; and even then, there are good reasons to upgrade. For those however, who have started ringing more recently or others seeking to further a deeper interest in passerine moult then this outstanding book comes highly commended.>

There has been some ground-breaking development in bat detector technology in recent years, such as the Audiomoth and Echometer Touch, reviewed in BTO News, Spring 2018, which have enabled a much wider audience of non-bat specialists to become interested in bat sound identification. Newcomers to this are supported by a Facebook page ‘Bat Call Sound Analysis Workshop’ which was set up by Rich Flight for anyone to be able to receive comments from the wider bat community on sound recordings, and by two excellent books published by Pelagic Publishing. The first by Jon Russ on British Bat Calls: A Guide to Species Identification, and the second by Neil Middleton, Andrew Froud and Keith French on the Social Calls of the Bats of Britain and Ireland (the latter book reviewed in BTO News 312). However, for new and experienced observers alike, there can be unfamiliar sounds. These may relate to difficult to identify bat species, but insects, birds and terrestrial mammals may also be recorded as ‘by-catch’ during bat surveys. This includes calls that can be confused with bats. Is That a Bat? also written by Neil Middleton and published by Pelagic Publishing, is the first attempt to pull together and summarise the current knowledge of many of these other sounds that are likely to be recorded during bat surveys. This is a complex area of study, where there is still much to learn. However, this book and downloadable call library does an excellent job in highlighting the potential for identifying other sounds, in a very entertaining book. Knowing that Neil Middleton was working on this book for some time and working myself on the sound identification of small mammals and bush-crickets, it has been a great opportunity to collaborate with Neil over the past couple of years. Many of the recordings collected by Neil have been built into software that I have been working on for the automatic sound identification of bats and other species groups, which is already being used to process ‘bat’ recordings. This has now been developed into our cutting-edge acoustic monitoring tool, the BTO Acoustic Pipeline. Admittedly, this is an area of study that fascinates me, but this is the book highlight for me this year.

In this brilliant book, Smyth shines a light on the relationship between birds and humans. In particular, on the roles we have played, and continue to play, in bird lives and histories. In doing so, he gently challenges mainstream narratives in modern-day conservation, prompting the reader to examine their own notions of value and motivation. Smyth looks at the various ways in which we have given to and taken from birds, tipped the balances to favour some birds to the detriment of others. Ideas such as shifting baselines, re-introduction and naturalness are explored and teased out. In doing so, he exposes some of the inconsistencies that abound in our regard for and treatment of birds (and for the world that they and we live in). These ideas are also looked at from a “bird’s eye view”, setting them against the moment-to-moment struggle to find food and shelter, to raise young, to stay alive. Smyth returns repeatedly to the eponymous conclusion of the book; that in spite of our profound impact on their lives, individual birds are supremely indifferent to us. At the same time, he eloquently, artfully, joyfully celebrates birds, and what they mean to us. The book is short (I finished it in a single weekend), reading like a short series of lectures. But, brevity notwithstanding, it takes the reader along very different paths from those trodden by other nature-oriented contemporaries. I whole-heartedly commend it, and the author, for the quality of his writing, the clarity of his thought, and his passion for those indifferent birds!

Since the publication of the first edition of this edited volume 10 years ago, we have all grown in our awareness of the twin biodiversity and climate crises that the planet faces. There is building evidence that the climate is changing, and of its impact on biodiversity, of which the literature on birds is a significant component. The authors start their book with an assessment that more than 11,400 papers have been published on the subject of climate change and birds, of which two thirds have been published since 2010. This makes it very difficult for any of us to keep on top of what is a fast moving literature, and so Dunn and Møller have pulled together an impressive list of 35 internationally respected authors to write 19 chapters that provide an accessible way into this vast topic. The chapters are split across four sections. The first introductory section contains a useful summary of climate change that is particularly helpful for anyone struggling with the complexity of the climate system and the breadth of impacts. It concludes with a bullet point summary of major IPCC results that provides a handy reference of the subject. Having this at the start of the book provides a useful platform on which the rest of the volume is built. The second section has a methodological focus and includes five chapters that provide a useful summary of approaches and latest advances in relation to a number of key aspects of the subject. The first of these reviews sources and approaches to analysing long-term climate data. This will be particularly useful for anyone looking to access such data for their own studies, although there is a risk that the websites mentioned where data may be accessed may gradually go out of date. The second chapter nicely complements the first by reviewing different sources of bird data, many of which result from citizen science initiatives. Three more statistical chapters then follow that consider ways to quantify climate sensitivity, ecological niche modelling and the analysis of population dynamics. These excellent summaries should be very helpful for those looking to undertake similar analyses, and particularly describe some of the most recent developments in modelling impacts on populations. Evidence around the impacts of climate change on bird populations forms the subject of the third book section. This contains chapters that review changes in migration, timing of breeding and breeding success, physiological responses, evolutionary responses, population responses and changes in distribution in response to climate change. The first four of these chapters nicely document the range of impacts observed - the chapter on physiology in particular contained much recent material that was new to me. The latter two chapters in this section are more methodological in nature, reviewing approaches used for future projections of abundance and distribution respectively. Like the chapters in section two, they do so with reference to much new and recent material, usefully highlighting challenges of scale and propagating uncertainty, but I did wonder if these chapters would really have fitted in better in that section. Given the title of the section on population consequences, I also felt that an overview of the evidence of the impacts of climate change on bird populations across the world would have made a useful addition. The final section of the book, entitled interspecific effects of climate change, puts birds in a wider ecological context. Two of the chapters consider particular mechanisms of climate change impacts, covering host-parasite and predator-prey interactions, whilst a third also covers aspects of relationships with other taxa. Both the host-parasite and predator-prey chapters included some really nice recent examples, the first in my opinion being something of a neglected topic, whilst the latter provided a nice overview of what is now a really quite extensive literature. The next chapter is a succinct summary of the impacts of climate change on bird communities, summarising what is really some of the most compelling evidence of impacts to date. Finally in this section, an ambitious chapter gives a pretty comprehensive assessment of the attempts that have been made to assess the future vulnerability of birds to climate change, and considers how best conservationists should respond. For anyone wanting to get up to speed with the topic, or even for those more familiar with the subject but struggling to keep up with the literature, I would heartily recommend this book. As a result of being an edited volume, it does suffer from a degree of duplication between some chapters whilst other aspects of the subject were hardly covered at all, but in general the chapters are excellent and in combination they provide a pretty comprehensive summary. I would have welcomed more of a synthesis from the book editors to pull out key themes and patterns across the chapters and sections. Their concluding chapter was pretty short and given their experience, felt like a lost opportunity to provide more of a challenging synthesis of the subject. Having said that, I would agree with the five main areas of future research need that they highlight, so do go and read this book, and be inspired to tackle at least one of these!

Zoonotic diseases (those that infect humans but which originate in populations of wild animals), especially novel ones, sometimes receive quite high profile, e.g. avian influenza, Ebola and, more recently, coronaviruses. The study of disease in wild animals, though, is something of a ‘Cinderella’ subject and this book does a valuable service in bringing together a wide range of case-studies, from carnations through to American buffalo, to show what a fertile area it is. Three chapters may be of particular interest to BTO readers. One on Red Grouse shows the complex ways in which the parasite influences infected birds’ behaviour and physiology, one on the House Finch, describes how large-scale volunteer-collected data can help us understand disease spread, and one on Badgers explores how we measure the spread of infected individuals and some of the implications of this for management strategies. This is a book aimed squarely at researchers, but it does start with a helpful glossary and many of the authors have attempted to write in a style that is accessible to non-specialists. In a move that should be copied by others, the publisher has provided non-technical summaries to all the chapters on its website, which provide at least the gist of each case, though making them a bit longer might have made them even more useful to those daunted by the full text. Overall, this is a fascinating collection of studies that showcases why wildlife diseases are worthy of study and how combining field observations, experiments, mathematical models and the latest in genomic and molecular research provides not only research insight, but also contributes to effective conservation and management efforts.

The original Birds of Bhutan published by Helm in 1999 was the first field guide to the avifauna of this Himalayan nation; the new work however, is not simply just a second edition but has been extended to include the neighbouring Indian states of Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh, and also adds the renowned Bhutanese bird expert Sherub as a fourth author. Whilst much of the book is devoted to the superbly illustrated plates and corresponding species accounts, the introductory section is extensive. Along with the usual guide to using the book which in this case also covers the taxonomy used, there is a really useful account of the main habitats found within the geographic area covered, including habitat features, elevation; as well as listing a few characteristic, threatened, or range restricted species that may be found within them. A table of globally threatened or range restricted species found within the geographic scope of the book is another useful feature. A brief guide to the some of the key and more accessible birdwatching areas found within the region provides those considering a visit to the region with a list of nature reserves, national parks and other areas that offer notable birding experiences. Location, habitats and target species are detailed along with an indication of the best time to visit; making this a useful place to begin when putting together an itinerary. A section of the introduction is devoted to conservation issues affecting birdlife within Bhutan and the surrounding regions of the Eastern Himalayas. Like so many other parts of the world land use is a major concern and while forest cover remains high, commercial forestry and other human activities are impacting forest quality, particularly at lower altitudes; as a result Bhutan has imposed a ban on timber exports. Agriculture expansion, necessary to feed growing populations, is responsible for the degradation of lowland grasslands and wetlands; the latter also being affected by the increased use of hydropower. Fortunately the region has many protected areas, most notably in Bhutan where almost 50 percent of the country, inclusive of all major ecosystems, is designated. In addition to formal conservation measures the dominant religious beliefs of Hinduism and Buddhism usefully convey implicit protection to most wildlife, particularly within Bhutan itself. The introduction concludes with maps of Important Bird Areas within the region, a glossary, references, regional organisation details, and an illustrated guide to bird families occurring within the geographic scope of the book. The larger part of the book however, is comprised of the species accounts and the accompanying 152 colour plates. The plates, printed opposite the accounts of the species depicted, are skilfully illustrated by many prominent artists with sex and age difference shown where appropriate. Birds in flight are presented for species that are more frequently encountered in transit such as raptors, gulls and herons; or where salient features are only visible when on the wing, such as nightjars. Species accounts, whilst concise, include an abbreviated list of the regions in which the bird can be found along with a handy range map; residency status usefully details altitude. A brief guide to identification lists features used to separate a species from those most similar where confusion is possible; details any age and gender differences; describes voice including song and call; and provides an indication of preferred habitats as well as any notable behavioural traits. For those visiting Bhutan or the Eastern Himalayas this definitive field guide really is the only one you need to pack. If however, your concern is for your carbon footprint then the guide still serves as a great insight into the amazingly diverse avifauna that needs conserving in the face of inevitable climate change.

Mention of a day-flying moth to many people will receive a reaction akin to ‘Don’t you mean a butterfly?’ However, as mentioned in WildGuide’s Britain’s Day-flying Moths the number of moth species which are most active in the day (158 covered in the book) comfortably doubles the number of our butterflies (71 species including migrants). The differences between moths and butterflies are included here, along with the book’s definition of day-flying which encompasses those species which are easily disturbed in the day and are likely to be encountered in flight. By focussing on this selected group of moths over the entire group, numbering over 2,500 species, the book is accessible for the enthusiastic naturalist who hasn’t made the leap to the expensive world of moth-trapping. That should not be seen as if it would only appeal to beginners though, as it includes topics such as the tantalising and more specialised world of clearwing pheromones, which is covered in detail. The flexibound cover makes it comfortable to use in the field and the high-quality photographs should allow for easy identifications. Most species receive a full-page account, covering behaviour, food preferences (for both adult and caterpillar), flight times and advice on how to see the moth in action. Besides the comprehensive species accounts, there are sections covering moth biology, naming conventions and a guide to the best habitats for seeing a diverse range of day-flyers. Is every moth that one could conceivably encounter during daylight covered? Of course not, but that shouldn’t prevent a budding lepidopterist from getting a lot out this charming book.

A thriller surrounding illegal wildlife trade, focusing on tropical birds and remote locations, is certainly a new find in the ornithological section of the library. Robinson’s crime novel is a welcome new genre, and I was excited to get tucked into what was bound to be an exciting read. For the most part, it proved to be just that. The scenes are set with knowledge of the area, describing Cairns to a level of detail that brought me back to my backpacking days in the city. The story, which follows Philip Royle as he chases his missing colleague, follows a nice arc with a dramatic plot-twist that I hadn’t seen coming. Epic chases across the Australian outback and Washington politics, all with a hint of kidnapping and several murders, most certainly keep you on your toes as you work your way through the book. However, the writing overall is at times a bit long-winded and there is a lot of repetition throughout the novel, often within sentences. There are some minor factual errors, such as referring to the Bengal Tiger as Indian Tiger. The GPS-tags that the author kindly describes as being used by BTO for tracking migratory birds, which are used in the novel to track crates of eggs being transported, most certainly wouldn’t be cut out for this kind of work, but these kinds of small errors can easily be forgiven for the thrill of the story. Slightly less easy to forgive are the descriptions of almost all female characters by their dress, long-leggedness or “scantily-clad bodies”, which was in stark contrast with the way in which male characters were described. Royle’s partner-in-crime, Charlie Lacey, came across as literary eye-candy rather than a well-developed character, which I hope will be rectified in future novels. Despite this, I found myself unable to put the book down easily; I just had to know what the next clue would be in the chase for the truth. This is what makes for great crime writing, and I do hope Robinson will continue to publish the stories of Philip Royle and his quest for justice, but perhaps with Charlie Lacey in a pair of jeans instead of a dress – that way she can at least go for her gun when needed.

Throughout my birding life I have never been a fan of photographic guides. The images in most of these early guides were of poor quality and often only featured one or two plumages per species. Back in 2016 that changed after seeing a copy of the WILDGuides' Britain's Birds: An Identification Guide to the Birds of Britain and Ireland in the accommodation I was renting on Shetland. This book was packed with high-quality photos by various photographers, including Hugh Harrop and David Tipling, and each species had a whole suite of photos showing the various ages and plumages. The book was also full of useful identification snippets and side-by-side comparisons of similar species. I purchased a copy as soon as I returned home, but it is best treated as a reference book rather than a field guide due to its size. That has all changed with the publication of the new British Birds: A Pocket Guide which, as its title suggests, is designed to be taken into the field. As you would expect there is some trimming down to be done to make it a pocket edition. Whereas the original book covered all those species that have occurred in the UK (600 species) this book only covers the most regularly occurring species, 248 in all, plus 45 scarcer species. The book still manages to include over 1,600 photos, all of which are of a high quality. It starts with a guide to using the book and is followed by a section on bird topography, identification and finally birds by habitat. Once into the main body of the book each species has at least one photograph accompanied by a short amount of text detailing size, identification features, voice and a distribution map. Those species that have a range of plumages or age groups such as wildfowl, gulls and waders, are assigned more photographs to show the different plumages states. As in the original book this guide is full of nuggets of information such as showing the difference in tertial patterning in juveniles of the larger gulls and makes identification that much easier. Similar species, such as Curlew and Whimbrel, are often depicted next to each other and in similar postures with the identification features useful in separation highlighted for each species. For some family groups there are also additional comparison pages that show a number of species in that family side by side and how they can be identified. The page for Calidris waders showing both winter and summer plumage, and the two pages detailing the four main age groups of the larger gulls will no doubt prove most helpful for those who struggle with these groups. In all this is a fantastic piece of work. It continues the spirit of the first book and manages to cram a huge amount of information in the pages without it feeling too cluttered or overwhelming. The text is concise but thorough enough to help with identification. Priced at £9.99, this is a must have for new and seasoned birders alike.