Birds of Thailand

I visited Thailand in the 90s and the guide I took with me was the newly published Lekagul and Round, at the time the best available. Nothing could prepare me for what I was about to see, new families and new species were a daily challenge and although Lekagul and Round provided me with an aid to identification for most, for some it was rather lacking.

Fast forward thirty-five years and the new Birds of Thailand is definitely up to the job. There are over 2,000 illustrations by thirty of the world’s top bird illustrators and of the quality we have come to expect from a modern field guide – the leaf warbler plate is sublime.

Value is added to this guide by the inclusion of over 1,000 range maps, different colours giving a good idea of where to find particular species’ and in which season, and by the inclusion of a QR code for every species. These work well and link you to a variety of weblinks containing photo galleries and sound recordings of the species scanned. There is also a list at the front of the book of 34 birding hotspots and what to expect at each – this would have been very useful back in the 1991. For anyone planning a visit to Thailand this book is a must have.

Book reviewed by Paul Stancliffe