- Hardcover: 400 pages
- Publisher: Princeton University Press (6 Feb 2006)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0691092516
- ISBN-13: 978-0691092515
- Product Dimensions: 30.7 x 22.1 x 3.3 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 931,648 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
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More About the Author
Product Description
Review
Once again Joseph Forshaw has raised the bar of avian identification guides. His latest book . . . is a superbly written and illustrated book on all parrot species and subspecies of the world. . . . I cannot recommend this book highly enough and believe it should hold pride of place in any collection of avian volumes.
(Susie Anderson Australian Aviculture )
Joseph Forshaw's name is synonymous with quality parrot books. . . . For the serious parrot enthusiast, this excellent book is a must-have. Without a doubt, Parrots of the World: An Identification Guide, will remain for years to come, the definitive work on the subject of parrot identification.
(Russell Kingston Australian Birdkeeper )
As well as helping identification this terrific book also covers the relationships between parrot families, plus their relationship with humans and subsequent conservation issues affecting the birds today. Any fan of birding in the tropics will want a copy, as will those with an interest from an aviculture perspective.
(The Visitor )
A wonderful addition to any avian library.
(AFA Watchbird )
This is a very valuable reference text.
(Roger Wilkinson Newsletter of the World Parrot Trust )
Altogether it is a fine addition to the literature and one that will please the most discriminate reader.
(Charles E. Keller Indiana Audubon Quarterly )
By far the most comprehensive and illustrative handbook for distinguishing all 350 extant species of psittacines in the world.... An essential tool.
(Auk )
(Susie Anderson Australian Aviculture )
Joseph Forshaw's name is synonymous with quality parrot books. . . . For the serious parrot enthusiast, this excellent book is a must-have. Without a doubt, Parrots of the World: An Identification Guide, will remain for years to come, the definitive work on the subject of parrot identification.
(Russell Kingston Australian Birdkeeper )
As well as helping identification this terrific book also covers the relationships between parrot families, plus their relationship with humans and subsequent conservation issues affecting the birds today. Any fan of birding in the tropics will want a copy, as will those with an interest from an aviculture perspective.
(The Visitor )
A wonderful addition to any avian library.
(AFA Watchbird )
This is a very valuable reference text.
(Roger Wilkinson Newsletter of the World Parrot Trust )
Altogether it is a fine addition to the literature and one that will please the most discriminate reader.
(Charles E. Keller Indiana Audubon Quarterly )
By far the most comprehensive and illustrative handbook for distinguishing all 350 extant species of psittacines in the world.... An essential tool.
(Auk )
Review
Once again Joseph Forshaw has raised the bar of avian identification guides. His latest book ... is a superbly written and illustrated book on all parrot species and subspecies of the world... I cannot recommend this book highly enough and believe it should hold pride of place in any collection of avian volumes. -- Susie Anderson Australian Aviculture Joseph Forshaw's name is synonymous with quality parrot books... For the serious parrot enthusiast, this excellent book is a must-have. Without a doubt, Parrots of the World: An Identification Guide, will remain for years to come, the definitive work on the subject of parrot identification. -- Russell Kingston Australian Birdkeeper As well as helping identification this terrific book also covers the relationships between parrot families, plus their relationship with humans and subsequent conservation issues affecting the birds today. Any fan of birding in the tropics will want a copy, as will those with an interest from an aviculture perspective. The Visitor A wonderful addition to any avian library. AFA Watchbird This is a very valuable reference text. -- Roger Wilkinson Newsletter of the World Parrot Trust Altogether it is a fine addition to the literature and one that will please the most discriminate reader. -- Charles E. Keller Indiana Audubon Quarterly By far the most comprehensive and illustrative handbook for distinguishing all 350 extant species of psittacines in the world... An essential tool. Auk
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Usually, scientific reference works are all text and few pictures. "Parrots of the World" take the opposite approach: all pictures and very little text.
I don't think serious biology students would be very happy about this book. However, if you want to impress your friends, it's perfect. Put it on your coffee table, place it prominently on a bookshelf or opposite your parrot cage, for the best effect. If you're really daring, buy a copy for your kids (not the smallest ones) and tell them to make colorful drawings of the parrots in the book. Just don't give it to your pet parrot!
:-D
"Parrots of the World" illustrates all known species of parrot, and many subspecies as well. However, it doesn't illustrate the various mutations bred in captivity. "Only" wild parrots are included. There are range maps of each species and short description of their habits and habitat. Some extinct species are also illustrated on the color plates.
I bought the book mostly to flash. But no, I don't regret it. However, those who want a more meaty work on parrots should probably invest in a copy of "Handbook of the Birds of the World, Vol. 4, Sandgrouse to Cuckoos", which also includes a extensive section on parrots.
A cracker, anyone?
I don't think serious biology students would be very happy about this book. However, if you want to impress your friends, it's perfect. Put it on your coffee table, place it prominently on a bookshelf or opposite your parrot cage, for the best effect. If you're really daring, buy a copy for your kids (not the smallest ones) and tell them to make colorful drawings of the parrots in the book. Just don't give it to your pet parrot!
:-D
"Parrots of the World" illustrates all known species of parrot, and many subspecies as well. However, it doesn't illustrate the various mutations bred in captivity. "Only" wild parrots are included. There are range maps of each species and short description of their habits and habitat. Some extinct species are also illustrated on the color plates.
I bought the book mostly to flash. But no, I don't regret it. However, those who want a more meaty work on parrots should probably invest in a copy of "Handbook of the Birds of the World, Vol. 4, Sandgrouse to Cuckoos", which also includes a extensive section on parrots.
A cracker, anyone?
Format:Paperback
Wow what a great book and at such a good price. The colour plates are fantastic and the editorial for each bird is perfect - not over the top and easy to read and understand. Serving me well at work helping customers identify their parrots etc.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
15 reviews
22 of 22 people found the following review helpful
New Forshaw
10 April 2007
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
A gorgeous book. More usable than the previous edition: physically smaller (still a coffee-table book, but lighter & smaller - binding should hold up now), much more up to date, no more hunting for pictures. Downsides: text refers to color plates but color plates don't refer back to text, and a short bibliography (<100 cites. It does cite the previous edition and Juniper & Parr, each with over 700 cites, but you'd need those to track references). Compared to Juniper & Parr's Parrots: A Guide to Parrots of the World, it's cheaper, more recent and better for phylogeny; but has less information about each species and doesn't cite references for each species. The larger size allows an elegant layout but makes it a poor field guide.
10 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Parrots of the World: An Identification Guide by Joseph M. Forshaw
4 Jan 2007
Format:Hardcover
The Parrots of the World: An Identification Guide by Joseph M. Forshaw is an excellant book that shows beautiful color pictures of the Parrots, tells where the Parrots are from with a colored map of the area they are originally from in the wild. Also the book tells in detail the color and size of the Parrots. I would highly recommend it for anyone interested in recognizing the different Parrots.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Great but not flawless
25 Mar 2011
Format:Paperback
This is certainly the best parrot guide I've ever seen, the result of a great deal of expertise and talent. The illustrations are clear, and for many species the bird is shown from the top and bottom to aid identification. Where birds vary in appearance by sex this is shown, and in most cases it seems the different subspecies are shown as well. This is particularly pleasing in the case of the Rainbow Lorikeet, the multiple highly variable subspecies of which are treated over six pages (including three plates). Similar looking species are lumped together and the illustration quality makes it clear what to look for to tell them apart. The maps are generallly good with each map using separate colours to mark the separate ranges of the subspecies.
There are, unfortunately, flaws. The common names used follow earlier editions, with a seeming preference for avicultural names over those used by birdwatchers and the various ornithological organisations. While this is the perogative of the writers, it would have been helpful to include commonly used alternatives either in the text or in the index. Additionally the taxonomy used seems somewhat out of date for a book just published. It's been ten years since Boon (2001) showed that the Norfolk and New Caledonian Parakeets were not only distinct from the Red-fronted Parakeet (actually the Red-crowned Parakeet, but never mind) but actually basal to the entire genus, yet they are still lumped in that species in this new edition. Similarly the Chatham Parakeet should be treated as very distinct from the Yellow-crowned Parakeet, but isn't. In some instances these splits are alluded to in the text (as they are for the Chathams Parakeet), but this isn't consistently done (for example in the case of teh Ouvea Parakeet from the Horned Parakeet).
These are essentially niggles. The problem with these kinds of work is that the closer you get to perfection the more glaring these small problems become. This is still an excellent book that I don't regret purchasing.
There are, unfortunately, flaws. The common names used follow earlier editions, with a seeming preference for avicultural names over those used by birdwatchers and the various ornithological organisations. While this is the perogative of the writers, it would have been helpful to include commonly used alternatives either in the text or in the index. Additionally the taxonomy used seems somewhat out of date for a book just published. It's been ten years since Boon (2001) showed that the Norfolk and New Caledonian Parakeets were not only distinct from the Red-fronted Parakeet (actually the Red-crowned Parakeet, but never mind) but actually basal to the entire genus, yet they are still lumped in that species in this new edition. Similarly the Chatham Parakeet should be treated as very distinct from the Yellow-crowned Parakeet, but isn't. In some instances these splits are alluded to in the text (as they are for the Chathams Parakeet), but this isn't consistently done (for example in the case of teh Ouvea Parakeet from the Horned Parakeet).
These are essentially niggles. The problem with these kinds of work is that the closer you get to perfection the more glaring these small problems become. This is still an excellent book that I don't regret purchasing.
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