A guide to the birds of Trinidad and Tobago

For a book to go to a third edition forty years after it was first published speaks volumes for its author. Sadly Richard ffrench, the author of A Guide to the Birds of Trinidad & Tobago, did not live long enough to see the book through to publication, however, it will remain as a fitting legacy to this doyen of Caribbean ornithology.

With an expanded Introduction, updated Species Accounts and the inclusion of all accepted records up to 2010, it is valuable as both a reference book and a most enjoyable read. I particularly enjoyed the sections on Behaviour, such as David Snow's descriptions of the dancing males at the White-bearded Manakin leks.

But the greatest change from the previous editions are 40 brand new colour plates, illustrating all but the rarest birds recorded in Trinidad & Tobago. The larger format of the book (yet still small enough to be carried in the field) has allowed the eight artists to beautifully and accurately illustrate the birds of these delightful islands. It will certainly accompany me on my next trip there.

Book reviewed by Moss Taylor