BOOK OF THE MONTH: SEPTEMBER 2011

                                                        
Title        : Birds of Kerala - Status and Distribution
Editors    : C Sashikumar, 

                Praveen J, 

                Muhammed Jafer Palot, 

                PO Nameer
Publisher: DC Books
Pages      : 885
ISBN      : 9788126429219
Price       : Rs 995

Birds of Kerala: Status and Distribution by P.O. Nameer, Mohammed Jafer Palot,Praveen, J.and C.Sashikumar, provides a consolidated wealth of information on birds of Kerala making it a valuable source of information for birdwatchers as wellas ornithologists.The accurate checklists and the detailed site information along with the distribution may be helpful for the visiting birders as well. With a lot of focus on conservation and up-to-date status of avian habitats, the book also helps in defining and prioritizing the solidarity among conservation actions.

The book starts with a dedication to KK Neelakandan, the foremost ornithologist of Kerala.Then A Brief History of Ornithology in Kerala is revealed mainly with the help of individual accounts of prominent ornithologists in chronological order. The chapter traces ornithological history since 1751 and gives biographies of 12 ornithologists who worked in Kerala right from T.C. Jerdon (1847-1851) to Michael Jackson (1935-1972) through Salim Ali (1933-1984). It ends with short accounts on diverse birding related topics like Bird-ringing, Books, Surveys, AWC, Nature camps, Bird Photography, keralabirder egroup, Bird Tours etc.

Then follows an excellent chapter on Changing landscape of Kerala which describes the various habitats in Kerala with a special focus on how these are getting affected by recent human interferences. A one page description of Climate of Kerala is followed by another very interesting account of the various Bird communities in Kerala based on the habitat. There is still another chapter completely devoted to conservation with details including the List of Threatened Birds of Kerala, Endemic birds, Protected Areas and Important Birding Sites.

The Chapter Overview of Bird Communities of Kerala lists birdcommunities of  the nine Biotopes/ Habitations: High-altitude shoals and grasslands, Mid-altitude forests in the highlands, Low-altitude forests, Riparian forests and Sacred groves, Wetlands, Backwaters,Mangroves, Shores, Islands, Plantations, Drylands including Dry Deciduous, Scrub Jungles and Meadowlands, Villages, Towns, and City Gardens.

The core content of the book, the individual Species Accounts covers about 462 bird species in the Main List and a Secondary List of 52 species that have not met the criteria set out for authentication of a sighting or record. Each species account details the present state of knowledge on its Habitats, Status, Distribution, Breeding, Population Changes, Migration and Historical Records. The Secondary List contains Historical records, Mis-identified records, Unconfirmed Sight records and all other information reported from Kerala, but not forming part of the Main List.

For each bird the Habitat, Status, Distribution, Breeding and Historical References are detailed. Whereever applicable, one or more photographs, the Population Trends, Conservation Related Information and Additional Notes are also provided. A section of Notes is included for certain species to raise important issues concerning taxonomy and distribution of species.This book also gives an up to date checklist of birds for all the protected areas in Kerala. 

The compilation of the information different species presented is quite thorough, that reflects the state of knowledge of the authors who have sought out every source of information on the birds of theregion, as reflected in Species Accounts: Methodology and Notes and the additional information provided is as recent as December 2010.

Four Appendices are there Appendix 1: giving a Comprehensive checklist of 480+ species occurring in 32 Sites whose checklists have been whetted by as many site-referees; Appendix II gives details on 19 of Salim Alis’s Travancore Cochin Survey locations covered between January-December 1933; Appendix III presents a Glossary of terms used in the text and the Appendix IV provides Useful birding contacts within the state; The Scientific and English names of birds that appear in the book are indexed separately.

The section on Bibliography contains a listing of 1166 references (including 47+ from Electronic sources) that provide information on the the most striking feature of the book is that almost all species references are supplemented with photos of good quality which gives life to the Text.Excellent print quality is also a point that worth mentioning which is well honoured through the Excellence in Book Production Award given by the Federation of Indian Publishers, New Delhi, India.

FOR ONLINE PURCHASE: http://www.dcbookshop.net

REVIEW TEXT COURTESY: http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Mail/BNGBirds/1006234