Birds of New Guinea

Winner of the 2017 Whitley Award:
CERTIFICATE OF COMMENDATION for the BEST BOOK in the category of FIELD GUIDE.

Each year the Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales, Australia, hosts the Whitley Awards. These awards are a tribute to Gilbert Whitley, an eminent Australian ichthyologist. The Whitley Awards seek out and acclaim the best publications published in the previous 12 months relating to Australasian zoology and the unique fauna of the region. The Whitley Medal and Special Commendation are the most sought after prizes in Australian zoological publishing.

This is the first field guide to cover the entire New Guinea region, comprising Indonesian West Papua (including the West Papuan Islands, Geelvink Bay Islands and Aru Islands) and Papua New Guinea and its associated islands, the Bismarcks and Bougainville.

All of the 943 species known to occur are covered, including the extraordinarily high total of 456 endemics, as well as 5 introduced species, 2 species yet to be formally described and a separate appendix with 75 vagrants. Subspecies are listed also to give a comprehensive overview of the remarkable regional avifauna.

New Guinea is the second largest island in the world and many of its ecosystems are as yet relatively intact. There are 7 endemic families, and the region is the major centre of diversity for pigeons and doves, kingfishers, parrots, honeyeaters and birds of paradise, with an astonishing diversity and morphological variation and including some of the most sought-after species in the world.

The author has over 25 years experience in the region, living there for some 7 years and travelling widely on birding and research trips, which has given him valuable experience and insight into the avifauna that he has shared with hundreds of people over the years. The artists from Lynx Edicions have worked on many new and revised plates, which give an excellent visual coverage of the avifauna, with over 1780 illustrations. The taxonomy is up-to-date and the distribution maps have been carefully prepared and revised, whilst field identification and vocalizations are a major interest and should make this book an essential and compact reference companion to anyone birding in the region.

• 943 species, 456 endemics, 5 introduced species, 75 vagrants, 2 undescribed species.
• over 1,780 illustrations, 867 distribution maps.

FREE Checklist of the Birds of New Guinea:

Download the Checklist of the Birds of New Guinea and its Offshore islands as a PDF file, prepared by Phil Gregory, the author of the guide. You will find:

• Families, species and significant subspecies with common and scientific names.
• Current conservation status of threatened species.
• Checklist boxes that allow recording for seven different locations.
• Maps of area covered and of major New Guinea birding sites.