Handbook of the Birds of the World (volume 14 Bush-shrikes to Old World Sparrows)

This wonderful series is nearing its end (only two to go after this one) and it is admirably keeping to its schedule of one per year. Volume 14 does not disappoint and the groups covered will be of particular interest to those interested in African and Australasian birds and in those which are particularly colourful (though there are some ‘plainer’ ones as well). Bush-shrikes, helmet-shrikes and the Madagascar-endemic vangas start the book, followed by several mostly fairly small Australasian families, but including birds of paradise and bowerbirds, then the larger groups of crows and starlings and ends with the true sparrows.
As usual there is an essay written as the Foreword. This volume has one by Stephen Moss and is a global view of ‘Birding’ covering the history mainly through the 20th Century, its prevalence today, the rise of citizen science, the economic benefits of birding and environmental issues.
The format of the species accounts is now well-known with a comprehensive essay on each family accompanied by some stunning photographs and followed by individual species accounts.
Unfortunately for this series, taxonomy of some species is moving so fast at the moment that some which have already been covered should arguably now in be in this volume. The vangas, for example, are now often thought to include some other species already covered in earlier volumes. The cost of such a monumental series may be beyond many individuals’ pockets but if you want a survey of the world's birds there is no better place to look.

Book reviewed by Peter Lack