Helm Identification Guides: Cotingas and Manakins

An identification tour de force, and one which has taken some 16 years to come to fruition. Cotingas and manakins, a group of birds endemic to South and Central America fire the imagination. From the well-known Cock-of-the-Rock to the near mythical Kinglet Calyptura and from the familiar sounds of Bellbirds (to anyone who watches wildlife programmes!) through to the many quiet and elusive denizens of almost impenetrable forest, these birds are the epitome of the South American wilderness. Many of the manakins have incredibly elaborate displays and lekking breeding systems which are well-studied, but other species we know very little about. Travelling birders always have members of this group high on their list of targets and so here they have the definitive identification guide of the currently known species and taxonomy. As with so many other of this type of guide, its use will not be in the field – it is far too big for that – but as a reference. The familiar format of introductory chapters (33 pages), followed by the plates (68 pages) and rounded off with detailed species accounts (469 pages) is supplemented in this volume by many high quality photographs of different plumages, depicting the birds in their natural habitats.