Antpittas and Gnateaters

Description

Elusive study organisms for ornithologists and highly prized additions to the birder's life-list, the antpittas (Grallariidae) and gnateaters (Conopophagidae) are among the most poorly known Neotropical bird groups. This authoritative handbook is the first book dedicated solely to these two families, combining an exhaustive review of more than two centuries of literature with original observations by the author and many knowledgeable contributors. Antpittas and Gnateaters provides a thorough guide to the identification and ecology of these birds, with detailed maps accompanying the text. A series of superb plates illustrate mostof the 156 recognized taxa; supplemented by more than 250 colour photographs, the immature plumages and natural history of many species are depicted for the first time. This book is the ultimate reference on theseremarkable and beautiful birds, and an indispensible addition to the libraries ofresearchers and birders for many years to come.

Harold F. Greeney is a natural historian, 2015 Guggenheim Fellow and the creator of the Yanayacu Biological Station & Center for Creative studies in Ecuador. He has a particular interest in antpittas and gnateaters, for which he has described the first nests of several species, and is an active and regular contributor to the ornithological and entomological literature. David Beadle is an artist from Canada with a great knowledge of South America and her birds. His previous books include New World Warblers (Helm, 2002) and Sparrows of the United States and Canada (Academic Press, 2002).

This book is quite obviously a labour of love and, for anyone familiar with the author's huge body of published work, it could never be anything but thorough. -- Christopher J. Sharpe * Neotropical Birding * Greeney's credentials as a field ornithologist are second to none. -- Christopher J. Sharpe * Neotropical Birding * Plates are of the high quality we have come to expect from David Beadle, and are a pleasure to peruse. In this case one can definitely judge the book by its ... cover. -- Christopher J. Sharpe * Neotropical Birding * This is one of the best-researched avian monographs ever published, and leaves little to desire in the coverage of its subject. In fact, it would scarcely be an exaggeration to say that everything we currently know about this group is contained within this book. -- Christopher J. Sharpe * Neotropical Birding *