Handbook of the birds of the world volume 14 pdf
unalaschcensis at present not under consideration by the AOU Checklist Committee). nevadensis this split has now been accepted by the AOU Checklist Committee see the 54th Supplement in this issue of The Auk), and the Fox Sparrow ( Passerella iliaca) into four species ( P. Rising splits the Sage Sparrow into two species ( Artemisiospiza belli and A. I expect that close inspection of the species accounts within each family will engender some rigorous debate, both within checklist committees and among those of us interested in maintaining and expanding our life lists. The systematic treatment of species assemblages within each of the four recognized families in the present volume is impressively comprehensive, with the authors readily adopting newly proposed generic names. ( 2013) recently published a comprehensive higher-level phylogeny centered on the same four families, together with the Parulidae, and argue for the recognition of some 16 families! As the consistently excellent introductory systematic sections of the volume highlight, the higher-levelĬlassification of this collectively diverse and species-rich assemblage of birds is likely to remain in flux, so we should perhaps not pay too much attention to the absolute numbers of species or genera presently assigned to each of these four families. Similarly, some genera that are placed with the tanagers in this volume have closer affinities to members of the Emberizidae (e.g., Chlorospingus) or the Cardinalidae (e.g., Piranga). Given our growing knowledge of the systematics of these passerines, it was a little disappointing that the four families are presented in very traditional groupings of genera, when, for instance, it has been demonstrated that some 19 genera placed here in the Emberizidae are instead more closely related to the tanagers, including the Galápagos “finches” ( Geospiza, Certhidea, Platyspiza, and Camarhynchus). The use of DNA sequences of diverse genetic loci has revolutionized our understanding of the systematic relationships among many different organisms, not least among members of these four families of birds. The main body of the book covers an astonishing 762 species, in part due to the inclusion of the species-rich families Thraupidae (tanagers: 283 species, 64 genera) and Emberizidae (buntings and New World sparrows: 326 species, 76 genera), as well as the Cardinalidae (cardinals and grosbeaks: 42 species, 11 genera) and Icteridae (New World blackbirds: 111 species, 31 genera). Volume 16 follows the classic layout of HBW by starting with a highly informative and timely essay, which in this volume reviews the important subject of climate change and birds (written by Anders Pape Møller 27 pp.). We should all commend and express our gratitude to the editors, who have striven for exceptional artistic quality and scientific rigor, and yet maintained a timely publication schedule.
#HANDBOOK OF THE BIRDS OF THE WORLD VOLUME 14 PDF PROFESSIONAL#
These books have become so ingrained in our daily lives, as professional or amateur birders, that defining HBW simply was not needed. The vast impact that the 16 volumes of the Handbook of the Birds of the World have had on ornithology dawned on me recently when I read a scientific paper and noticed that the acronym “HBW” was used without a definition. Sadness because I have so enjoyed reading every volume of the series, and with this one it is coming to an end-or not! (see below) joy because this volume details some of the most exquisitely, beautifully plumaged of all passerine bird families: the tanagers, cardinals, blackbirds, buntings, and New World sparrows. Hardcover, $275.-It was with both sadness and joy that I received volume 16 of the Handbook of the Birds of the World. 81 color plates, >500 photographs, and 766 distribution maps. 16: Tanagers to New World Blackbirds.-Josep del Hoyo, Andrew Elliott, and David Christie, Eds.