Checklist of the Birds of the World : A Complete List of the Species, with Names, Authorities and Areas of Distribution

London: Collins. Very Good/Very Good. 1976. First Edition. Hard Cover. 8vo 0002196425 Dust jacket unclipped in clear protective sleeve, rubbed to edges. Green cloth boards with bright gilt titling on spine. Map end papers. 212 pages clean and tight. This is one of those reference books which may seem to the non-initiate extraordinarily dull, but to the enthusiast indispensable - a constant pleasure and support. It is a complete, concise guide to the names and groupings of all the birds on earth, with the authority for each name and the broad distribution of each species. The birds. There are about 8700 recognized species. Some Families are large and varied - the Hawks, Parrots, Pigeons and Doves, Finches - with hundreds of members. Others are very small - the three Kiwis, five Skuas, two Turkeys, and only a single Ostrich, Osprey or Oilbird species. The arrangement of this book is by scientific order of Families, following that of Peters' standard work in fifteen volumes. For ease of reference the birds themselves are listed alphabetically by their Latin names within each genus. For each bird we are given its scientific and English names, and following these references to sources and regions. Sources. The scientific authority followed for each name is indicated by one or more code-numbers. The works so quoted are listed on pages 193-4, followed by an extensive alphabetical bibliography. Distribution. The world is divided by zoologists into `faunal regions'. These are shown on the endpapers, with a code-letter for each - from a to k. The appropriate letters are given for each bird. Thus the reader can readily see the broad extent of any bird's distribution throughout these regions. Notes. Important synonyms and areas of disagreement between scientists are listed on pages 181-92. Within the main text these notes are referred to by little numbers, consecutive within each Family, beside the Latin name. Indexes. There are indexes both of generic names and of the English group names. .