F. Gary Stiles, Clara I. Bohórquez, Carlos D. Cadena, Susana De La Zerda, Matheo Hernández, Loreta Rosselli, Martin Kelsey, Iván D. Valencia, and Douglas Knapp. 2000. Asociación Bogotana de Ornithología, Corporación Autónoma Regional de Cundinamarca. 276 pp., 16 color plates by Robin Schiele, 2 color fold-out maps, 15 color photos of habitats. ISBN 958-96792-5-0. Softback, Price unavailable.—This handy little guide, measuring 5 × 8 inches, may have limited appeal to foreign birders because it is in Spanish and because of its small geographical focus. But its appearance—the work of Colombians and foreign residents—is a heartening reminder that, despite continuing civil strife and political chaos, there are still persons in Colombia committed to fostering understanding and appreciation of this country's natural environment.
Colombia's only modern countrywide bird book, A Guide to the Birds of Colombia by Hilty and Brown, was published in English in 1986. It has been widely heralded by foreign scientists and naturalists but, unfortunately, was expensive (for Colombians), never readily available within the country, and mainly used by a small minority of Colombians capable of reading English and able to obtain it through international conduits. A much-delayed Spanish edition, with a limited print run, was finally distributed within Colombia in the late 1990s. Both versions are aimed, in scope and detail, more at scientists and advanced naturalists than novices and young enthusiasts. The present Aves de la Sabana de Bogotá, although modest in scope, is a product with greater mass appeal to Colombians, especially those in the heavily populated Bogotá environs. In size, scope, and approach, this is a book largely by and for Colombians, and it should be especially helpful to students and younger naturalists learning birds, and in raising environmental awareness.
The book covers a bit less than 200 species—barely 10% of the more than 1,800 species now estimated to occur in Colombia. These are, however, the birds most likely to be seen around Bogotá, the most densely populated region of the country and one of the most degraded environmentally. Introductory chapters treat (1) habitats around Bogotá; (2) avifauna of the Sabana de Bogotá, including biogeography, ecology, migration, plumage, voice, and conservation; (3) basics of observing birds, and what we, as humans, can learn from birds; and (4) an overview of species accounts and a glossary of anatomical terms and colors used in describing and identifying birds—all aimed at helping those new to bird study.
The species account format is familiar—brief family introductions and an account for each species. Some accounts are nearly a page in length with subsections on identification, voice, habitat, nesting, status, distribution with elevations, and sometimes notes that discuss taxonomy, boreal and austral migrants, or infrequently reported species. Most welcome is the fact that a good portion of the information is new, not recycled. Another welcome inclusion is both a preferred Spanish name as well as one or more local Spanish names, something useful but rarely presented in Latin American bird guides. Taxonomy generally follows that in Hilty and Brown's A Guide to the Birds of Colombia, a convenience to students having access to both works, but the taxonomy of some groups (i.e. Scytalopus) has been updated to reflect recent changes.
Two color maps, one of the Sabana de Bogotá, the other of natural areas in the city of Bogotá, are detailed and accurate. The plates will certainly enable anyone to recognize the birds in the area of this book. Helpful is the fact that many female and immature plumages are included. The artist, however, received little mention, being noted only once at the bottom of an introductory page.
Rounding out this fully packed book are a series of appendices that provides lists of migrants, threatened species, species not discussed in the main text, extinct species, and a bibliography of 69 entries. This is a terrific little bird book for students and naturalists of the Bogotá area. One hopes that more like it, in Spanish, will appear for other areas in Colombia and else-where.
