Michael Gallagher (8)

Basics: 1980, hardcover, 310 pages, 120 color plates of 550 species, no range maps

Even after nearly 30 years, this is still the best book available for the birds of Oman. Although the weight and large size (12x9 inches) of the book prevent it from being used as a field guide, it contains excellent illustrations on all the birds of Oman as well as very useful text.

The 120 color plates take advantage of the large pages by showing only 3-4 species per plate. This allows large paintings along with room for multiple plumages. The number of illustrations per plate ranges from 3-11. Some additional plates were added to focus on the shorebirds, gulls, and tern in flight. At first glance, the plates might strike you as more of an artistic effort with the painted backgrounds and large size of the birds; but, closer examination will show these plates to also be accurate for identifying the birds. A few groups (shorebirds and warblers) could use a few more illustrations to enhance their abilities for solid identification with the seasonal variations.

The text, which is provided on the left page across from the plate, consists of two paragraphs. This information offers a brief outline of the bird’s distribution in the world and its seasonal presence in Oman. Nearly half the text focuses on describing the bird. This information is written a little more generically than the format found in a true field guide. Instead of focusing on the key features, the descriptions cover the entire bird. Sometimes, a few notes are added to differentiate it from a similar bird. Several lines address the habitat, behavior, and vocalizations.

This is a very attractive book and, it is also a very useful guide for the birds of Oman. For most birds, these plates are good enough to be shrunk down in size and put directly into a field-guide sized book. Until then, this large book is meant to be studied from the comfort of your desk at home. For traveling to Oman, a smaller guide is more advisable. Those by Porter and by Hollom are very good options. The newer book, Common Birds in Oman, by Eriksen is decent but does not include all the birds.

I’ve listed several related books below…
1) Field Guide to the Birds of the Middle East by Porter et al.
2) Birds of the Middle East and North Africa by Hollom
3) Common Birds in Oman by Eriksen
4) Birdlife in Oman by Eriksen
5) Birds of Al Jabal Al Akhdar (Oman) by Eriksen
6) Birds of Bahrain by Nightingale
7) The Birds of the State of Kuwait by Gregory
8) The Birds of the United Arab Emirates by Richardson
9) Birds of Southern Arabia by Robinson
10) Birds of the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia by Bundy
11) The Birds of Iran by Scott
12) The Birds of Israel by Shirihai… (mehr)