The richness and diversity of Cuban birdlife features 354 recorded species that represent 20 orders and 60 families. The 21 living endemic species include the charming Cuban Tody, the striking and elegant Cuban Trogon (the national bird), the colorful Cuban Green Woodpecker, and the smallest of all birds, the Bee Hummingbird.This compact and portable field reference will help Cubans, visitors from abroad, and bird enthusiasts identify and enjoy the island's avifauna. The 51 color plates and 662 images accurately illustrate male, female, and juvenile plumages (in some cases for the first time). Many migratory species are depicted in both winter and breeding colors, providing a glimpse of many common North American birds as they appear when away from northern surroundings. In the comprehensive Field Guide to the Birds of Cuba Orlando H. Garrido and Arturo Kirkconnell share their vast wealth of knowledge about birds-and habitats-that are too little known.Field Guide to the Birds of Cuba contains:* Species accounts including habitat descriptions, similar species, range, status, nesting and feeding habits, and vocalizations.* Checklists of endemic species and subspecies.* Background on the geography, climate, geology, paleontology, and natural history of Cuba.*144 maps that show regional boundaries and vegetative habitats as well as the local distribution of each species.

About the Author

Orlando H. Garrido and Arturo Kirkconnell are Curators, National Museum of Natural History of Cuba. Lester Short is emeritus director of the department of ornithology at the American Museum of Natural History.

Reviews

All students of West Indian birds and, especially, all birders visiting Cuba should own this book. Highly recommended.

* Cotinga: Journal of the Neotropical Bird Club *

Written and illustrated by Cuban nationals, this book is a significant contribution to ornithology within that country.... There are 51 excellent plates showing all but two of the 354 species on the island. Distribution maps are large and clear. The book should be included in any library with an interest in the birds of the New World tropics either for travel or research.... Suitable for all levels of readers.

* Choice *

As ecotourists return to Cuba to see the country and its plants and animals, they may well wish to take along Orlando Garrido and Arturo Kirkconnell's Field Guide to the Birds of Cuba. Bird descriptions and paintings are useful and often imaginatively helpful.

* El Nuevo Herald *

Ornithologists, raptor biologists, and birders visiting Cuba (hopefully including Americans sometime soon) have in this highly recommended field guide an essential field research reference. The authors and artist deserve high praise for a job well done.

* International Hawkwatcher *

The guide and its excellent color plates are the product of Cubans (by necessity), which is unusual and welcome among guides published in the U.S.... As ecotourism to Cuba evolves, this book will be the choice of birders who visit the island.

* Wildlife Activist *

This is the first field guide that exclusively and comprehensively covers the relatively unknown avifauna of Cuba.... The book will be very useful for birders and ornithologists visiting Cuba as well as those who want to know what species occur there.

* The Condor *

It seems inevitable that the day is coming in which North American bird watchers will be traveling to Cuba. When that time comes they will want to have this guide.... The real strengths are the text and the maps. The range maps for each species are quite detailed, supported well by text information on range and status. The text also provides a usefully complete description of the bird.

* Bird Watcher's Digest *



Book Information
ISBN 9780801486319
Author Orlando H. Garrido
Format Paperback
Page Count 272
Imprint Comstock Publishing Associates
Publisher Cornell University Press
Weight(grams) 907g