The Reed Warblers: Diversity in a Uniform Bird Family

The title of this volume may lead prospective readers to assume it is a book all about how to identify species within this complex and difficult group of warblers. It is not – well, not in the sense that we have come to expect when picking up titles like this – mostly in the Helm Identification series e.g. Reed and Bush Warblers.

Although the authors touch on many aspects of identification they do so in the context of the birds’ overall biology, looking at a spectrum of diversity in their life strategies such as behaviour, migration, song, sexual selection, diet, habitat use, and so on. This approach is both scholarly yet highly readable and brings up-to-date the latest thinking about molecular ecology and systematics of the family Acrocephalidae. 

There is something for everyone in this fascinating and outstanding book. The accompanying photographs are a delight and well researched, while David Quinn’s artwork adds another layer of quality to the volume. 

Book reviewed by Jeff Baker