Birds of South Asia; Volumes 1 & 2

My first long-haul birding trip - and indeed long-haul journey of any kind - was to northern India and the Nepalese Himalayas in 1981. I took with me Birds of Nepal, Fleming, Fleming and Bangdel, as it was about the only guide available and I couldn’t lay my hands on A Field Guide to Birds of the Eastern Himalayas, by Salim Ali. How things have changed! The first edition of Birds of South Asia in 2005 entered a market where two authoritative modern guides might have been thought to provide the serious birder with everything they needed, Birds of the Indian Subcontinent (Grimmett, Inskipp & Inskipp 1998) and A Field Guide to the Birds of the Indian Subcontinent (Kazmierczak & van Perlo 2000). This first edition of Birds of South Asia grew in popularity and reputation, from a shaky start perhaps mainly due to new taxonomy, now largely followed by others including the second 2011 edition of Grimmett, Inskipp & Inskipp. 

The second edition of Birds of South Asia in robust paperback offers the birder a handy, comprehensive field guide in volume 1 (278pages), and reliable ‘handbook’ style reference in volume 2 (684 pages). The authors have included additional species, and importantly have improved the short field guide text with vocalisations. Dealing with so many species concisely sometimes makes for a cramped feel to both the illustrations and small maps. My least favourite plate in this respect is Plate 58 showing Snipes and Woodcock where details may be too small for easy use in the field (one can however imagine an e-book version, where growing the image on screen would alleviate the problem). I found the artwork for Brown Leaf Warblers on Plate 150 slightly disappointing with a same-y feel to some species, and I remember Sulphur-bellied Warbler P. greiseolus  being easier to identify than is perhaps portrayed here, though that may be a rose-tinted view! To my eye the colours can sometimes look too strong, an example being the Nuthatches on Plate 157. A slight irritation is plates like Plate 34 Harriers II where Pied Harrier appears for comparison, but its text is only on the previous page, and this was initially confusing. 

Volume 2, Attributes and Status provides a huge amount of information in handbook style, making this two volume set a clever combination, and probably the most comprehensive, modern guide available. The taxonomic changes since the first edition are helpfully set out in appendices. Despite the minor dislikes above, volume 1 would now probably rate as my preferred companion in the field, with well-thumbed reference to volume 2 on return. However, one guide cannot necessarily provide everything a birder and ornithologist may want, and I remain faithful to Grimmett, Inskipp & Inskipp and will continue to keep it close to hand.

Book reviewed by Andy Clements