Basics: 2001, 1st edition, softcover, 79 pages, 29 color photo plates, 30 species, range maps for each bird

This is a small, but nicely done booklet covering the 30 species of birds endemic to a unique African geography. Seventeen of these birds are endemic to only Ethiopia while the other 13 are shared by Eritrea where the Ethiopian Highlands cross the border. All but two of the endemics, White-throated Serin and Nechisar Nightjar are illustrated by one or two color photos. The nightjar (of debateable species status) is uniquely represented by a photo of only a left wing salvaged from the road. Four other birds are mentioned in the beginning notes that await taxonomic evaluation. If shown to be good species (two serins, a swallow, and a sawwing), they, too, will be endemics for this region.

One page of text is dedicated to each bird, which consists of 3-6 paragraphs. Sections such as description, habitat, distribution, habits, and threats offer information that may not be easily found elsewhere on these birds.

The range map displays the Ethiopean and Eritrean boundaries with the important Ethiopian Highlands shaded inside. The colored ranges of the birds give adequate detail for the localized populations.

The photos are of varying quality. Most offer close images of the bird; however, the printing quality of several appear to be no better than your own personal printer at home. A couple are similar to poor color photos found in a local newspaper.

It's good to see works like this attributed to unique groups of birds, especially those birds that have such restricted ranges and are more suseptible to human impacts. ( )