Gerard Gorman
Autor von Woodpeckers of the World: A Photographic Guide
Über den Autor
Gerard Gorman is a naturalist and author based in Hungary, where he is an accomplished birding guide. A seasoned woodpecker expert and natural history specialist, he has written 10 books focusing on birds and wildlife, including Woodpeckers of Europe, Woodpeckers of the World, The Birds of Hungary, mehr anzeigen Black Woodpecker and Pocket Guide to Tracks and Sings. weniger anzeigen
Werke von Gerard Gorman
Getagged
Wissenswertes
Für diesen Autor liegen noch keine Einträge mit "Wissenswertem" vor. Sie können helfen.
Mitglieder
Rezensionen
1 
Lepophagus | Jun 14, 2018 |
Lepophagus | Jun 14, 2018 | 
THE BASICS
hardcover; covers all 239 species of woodpeckers in the world; 722 good color photographs show all but five of the species; this is a photographic and natural history guide but not purely an identification guide; text on each bird addresses description, status, habitat, range, food & foraging, vocalizations, drumming, and taxonomy; a large range map for each bird shows the general distribution across the region
THE REVIEW
This is an attractive book where the highlight of its contents is the collection of 722 color photographs that make up this thick book. This is the first photographic book to address all 239 species of woodpeckers in the world. However, it should be pointed out that 5 species are not shown (Rusty-necked Piculet, Yellow-faced Flameback, and the Atlantic, Ivory-billed, and Imperial Woodpeckers).
The book is arranged into "chapters" with one chapter focusing on a Genus. It was a nice artistic touch to start each chapter with a full page, impressive photo of one member of that Genus. There are many spectacular photographs throughout the chapters, such as the Okinawa and Crimson-crested Woodpeckers. Except for five species with only one photo, all the others are shown with 2-5 photographs which depict both the male and female when differences occur. Only a few of the birds have photos that show the various subspecies. Hopefully, this book will drive further photography of some of the lesser known birds. Although most of the photos are good, a few species (e.g., Balem, Red-collared, and Southern Sooty Woodpeckers) need improved photographs.
A medium-sized to large range map accompanies each bird. For those species that migrate, a 3-color system is used to denote summer, winter, and resident. The maps do a good job of showing the general ranges of the bird in the region. However, the maps show only the outlines of the continents and not of any of the countries. Consequently, the range of some birds such as the Rusty-necked Piculet or the Strickland's Woodpecker is a little vague if you are trying to find out exactly where this bird can be found. On the flip side for islands such as The Philippines, Indonesia, or Sri Lanka, many of the maps do zoom on the specific area of where the bird is located.
Each of the 239 species receives between one-half and a full page of text. The topics given for most birds include the following: Identification, Vocalizations, Drumming, Status, Habitat, Range, Taxonomy, Similar Species (for some birds), and Food & Foraging. The longer sections tend to be Identification, Vocalizations, and Taxonomy.
The Identification section might be more aptly named "Description". This material describes the bird in good detail; however, this description often does not identify or separate the bird from another woodpecker since multiple birds can often share some of the same descriptions. To help distinguish one species from another, the section on Similar Species is used for some of the birds and contains brief, additional notes on the identifying characteristics.
The author has done a good job on the Vocalizations section, sometimes offering a full paragraph to describe the variety of calls the species might make. The descriptions use both effective adjectives in tandem with written patterns such as "fast, loud, staccato kuk-ki-ki-ki-ki-ke-ku-kuk" or "chattering yeh-yeh-yeh and weaker wiii notes".
I appreciate the additional section on Taxonomy and Variation given for many of the birds. This section provides a quick review on the several subspecies that may be involved, comments on being part of a superspecies, and, briefly describes some of the plumage variations.
This book is a photographic guide and can be used to help learn and maybe even identify most of the woodpeckers. However, for anyone wondering how to use this book, I would not call it an identification guide. The photos are good but do not show all the plumage variations; and, the text is geared towards giving an overall natural history account for the bird aided with detailed descriptions. Regardless, this is great book to have since it is the only photographic guide to include all woodpecker species on the planet and is replete with great photography. -- (written by Jack at Avian Review with sample pages, July 2014)… (mehr)
hardcover; covers all 239 species of woodpeckers in the world; 722 good color photographs show all but five of the species; this is a photographic and natural history guide but not purely an identification guide; text on each bird addresses description, status, habitat, range, food & foraging, vocalizations, drumming, and taxonomy; a large range map for each bird shows the general distribution across the region
THE REVIEW
This is an attractive book where the highlight of its contents is the collection of 722 color photographs that make up this thick book. This is the first photographic book to address all 239 species of woodpeckers in the world. However, it should be pointed out that 5 species are not shown (Rusty-necked Piculet, Yellow-faced Flameback, and the Atlantic, Ivory-billed, and Imperial Woodpeckers).
The book is arranged into "chapters" with one chapter focusing on a Genus. It was a nice artistic touch to start each chapter with a full page, impressive photo of one member of that Genus. There are many spectacular photographs throughout the chapters, such as the Okinawa and Crimson-crested Woodpeckers. Except for five species with only one photo, all the others are shown with 2-5 photographs which depict both the male and female when differences occur. Only a few of the birds have photos that show the various subspecies. Hopefully, this book will drive further photography of some of the lesser known birds. Although most of the photos are good, a few species (e.g., Balem, Red-collared, and Southern Sooty Woodpeckers) need improved photographs.
A medium-sized to large range map accompanies each bird. For those species that migrate, a 3-color system is used to denote summer, winter, and resident. The maps do a good job of showing the general ranges of the bird in the region. However, the maps show only the outlines of the continents and not of any of the countries. Consequently, the range of some birds such as the Rusty-necked Piculet or the Strickland's Woodpecker is a little vague if you are trying to find out exactly where this bird can be found. On the flip side for islands such as The Philippines, Indonesia, or Sri Lanka, many of the maps do zoom on the specific area of where the bird is located.
Each of the 239 species receives between one-half and a full page of text. The topics given for most birds include the following: Identification, Vocalizations, Drumming, Status, Habitat, Range, Taxonomy, Similar Species (for some birds), and Food & Foraging. The longer sections tend to be Identification, Vocalizations, and Taxonomy.
The Identification section might be more aptly named "Description". This material describes the bird in good detail; however, this description often does not identify or separate the bird from another woodpecker since multiple birds can often share some of the same descriptions. To help distinguish one species from another, the section on Similar Species is used for some of the birds and contains brief, additional notes on the identifying characteristics.
The author has done a good job on the Vocalizations section, sometimes offering a full paragraph to describe the variety of calls the species might make. The descriptions use both effective adjectives in tandem with written patterns such as "fast, loud, staccato kuk-ki-ki-ki-ki-ke-ku-kuk" or "chattering yeh-yeh-yeh and weaker wiii notes".
I appreciate the additional section on Taxonomy and Variation given for many of the birds. This section provides a quick review on the several subspecies that may be involved, comments on being part of a superspecies, and, briefly describes some of the plumage variations.
This book is a photographic guide and can be used to help learn and maybe even identify most of the woodpeckers. However, for anyone wondering how to use this book, I would not call it an identification guide. The photos are good but do not show all the plumage variations; and, the text is geared towards giving an overall natural history account for the bird aided with detailed descriptions. Regardless, this is great book to have since it is the only photographic guide to include all woodpecker species on the planet and is replete with great photography. -- (written by Jack at Avian Review with sample pages, July 2014)… (mehr)
Statistikseite
- Werke
- 16
- Mitglieder
- 87
- Beliebtheit
- #211,168
- Bewertung
- 3.5
- Rezensionen
- 2
- ISBNs
- 23
- Sprachen
- 1
The abundance of folkore was matched only by the fascinating section on woodpecker anatomy. Woodpecker myths range across the whole globe and are united in both how accurately they describe many local species habits and appearance; they are also united in the clear reverence they pay the creature. Pan was born of a Woodpecker, Zeus may have very well been a Woodpecker originally. Various indigenous peoples count the Woodpecker as the bringer of fire, and credit him to teaching them woodworking and how to be good parents. The magical carpenter of the forest, devoted, mischievous, and powerful; the Woodpecker brings thunder and rain, and is the doctor to the forest. Is it any wonder we all recognize the arboreal Woodpecker's silhouette?
This book was a fascinating overview that was melancholic only in the Woodpecker's present-day situation. Deforestation is killing them, as are stray cats. These keystone species deserve a bit more notice, and in raising awareness of them and revering them once more we could focus attention back upon our own habitat and better, more long-term, practices. A number of Woodpeckers take only what they need from the anthills they harvest, and in doing so, allow the species to repopulate prior to another raid. We could do much worse than following that practice in many of our own tappings of natural resources.… (mehr)