New, updated guide to Ecuador’s birds

McMullan’s illustrations

Miles McMullan, author of Birds of Ecuador Field Guide Miles McMullan, author Miles McMullan, author

As popular interest in South American birds has exploded in recent years, so has the demand for high-quality guide books to accompany birders in the field. One of the most impressive efforts to meet this need, Fieldbook of the Birds of Ecuador, was released by Rainforest Trust partner Jocotoco earlier this year.

The pocket-sized field guide, written by Lelis Navarrete and illustrated by Miles McMullan, breaks new ground by combining the birds of Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands together in a single volume for the first time.

It also offers timely updates on the status of Ecuador’s birds. Over thirty new bird species have been discovered in Ecuador in recent years, and these are included. Similarly, the Fieldbook of the Birds of Ecuador reflects new scientific understandings of species’ range, behavior, and habitat requirements.

New species, along with Ecuador’s already legendary diversity of birds, are represented in over 4,000 illustrations, many never before published. Accompanying these plates, which include major plumages for each species, are concise physical descriptions, identification notes, range maps, and updates on distribution and conservation status.

“This is one of the most beautifully illustrated and compact field guides in the tropics,” said Rainforest Trust CEO, Dr. Paul Salaman. “No visitor to Ecuador should be without this guide.”

Fieldbook of the Birds of Ecuador builds upon the pioneering standard set by Dr. Robert Ridgely’s Birds of Ecuador, originally published in 2001. And like Birds of Ecuador, the new guidebook was created, in part, with the aim of protecting Ecuador’s bird species – many of which face grave threats due to habitat destruction.

In his introduction, Dr. Ridgely explains the important role guide books can play for conservation: “Little bird books may not seem like much of a contribution, but bird books like these open eyes, one pair at a time.”

McMullan, whose colorful illustrations fill the pages of Fieldbook of the Birds of Ecuador, approached the project with a similar goal in mind.

“The book is designed to be an accessible, yet comprehensive reference in a popular non-scholastic format,” he said. “I wanted to create a popular and affordable book that can act as an introduction for people, including young Ecuadorians living in rural areas where the conservation message is most urgent.”

To birders travelling to Ecuador with the new guide book, McMullan offers a simple piece of advice: “Relax and enjoy it.”

You can purchase your copy from Amazon.com.

(Excluding postage costs, all proceeds from book sales will go toward Fundacion Jocotoco’s conservation efforts in Ecuador.)