Habitats of the World: A Field Guide for Birders, Naturalists, and Ecologists

In addition to what other reviewers have already said, I wanted to point out the printing quality is really high, full color glossy paper. Each habitat has diagrams, range maps, and an example photograph of the habitat as well as a few "iconic" animals. Combined with the written summaries and descriptions, they really give a nice feel for each habitat. My only wish was there were separate books for each continent, going into finer detail, but it sounds like those are in the works.

This is the best book of its type in existence! (But to my knowledge it is the only one). Why should you consider it? This group of authors have devoted their lives (or are lucky to be employed for) the pursuit of finding birds for people like me, a bird-watcher (birder). They are elite bird guides and have birded everywhere. Sometimes it seems like they can magically find a bird in an environment otherwise devoid of birds or bird diversity. Birders know that any location contains birds that are common and birds that are rare. How do you decide whether to put your binoculars on a bird when there is little chance of finding something new? How do we know if we might see an unusual bird/mammal? Hmmm…There are field guides that give maps of bird distribution. Generally these are “big-picture” maps of low resolution with questionable borders. How do you determine (from the map) that you are in the Arizona San Francisco mountains at 7600 feet or the Sonoran Desert only 20 miles away? Well you can look around and see Ponderosa Pines in one and Saguaro Cacti in the other. But what if you are in the unfamiliar areas of the world where Paramo and the Elfin/Stunted Cloud Forest abut in Ecuador? There is obviously a difference but what species utilize these differences? This book helps you both identify the habitat and gives you an idea of which species utilize them. It takes the magic out of bird finding (in addition to helping you determine other aspects of these ecosystems, particularly the biota, which are the prime habitat discriminators).The book is available both as a beautifully (Italian) printed soft-cover cloth-bound 3 lb book (available here) or the much lighter digital version (I got mine on Apple Books). The table of contents is organized by zoogeographical region and within these by color-coded habitat types. These color-coded habitats are used in the section maps of the zoogeographical areas (throughout the book) and a world map shortly after the table of contents. These color-coded habitats are further subdivided by the locations where they are found and then finally into the habitats that are distinctive either due to their appearance or the species they hold.Finally the book is sprinkled with “sidebars” that add interest, context and detail to the habitat descriptions (such as “Why there are no volcanos in the Himalayas” and “Why there are clouds in the cloud forest”). Added to all of the above this book is richly illustrated with maps, descriptive graphs, and photos (of the habitats and the habitat-dwellers). The photos are superlative both in capturing the content and rendering it well in printing.So, if you are planning a trip somewhere you’ve never been you can look up the habitats that you will be visiting. This book will inform you of the distinctive characteristics (including an innovative graph of the temporal relationship of temperatures and precipitation), the indictor plants found there (well documented in the appendix by common and Latin names), and what birds and mammals you might expect to find there.But if you decide not to buy this it will be great for me. By owning this book before a trip I will become familiar with these ecosystems and can predict what species inhabit them. I will appear more aware and seem to have have superior birding skills (an ego booster for sure). But really it is just a better understanding of the natural world we live in. Isn’t that the point of getting outside? Try it.

Lovely book, full of information on the habitats of the world. Great reference book. Cover design by local artist Christine Elder.

This book became an essential part of my gear the moment I saw it in the bookstore. I will only add two comments to all the praise this book has received in these reviews:1. I find it hard to express the sadness I feel when I think about how much my birding life would have been improved if I had had this book 30 years ago! I am attempting to make up for lost time by retrofitting the habitat information into my lifelist.2. Users should be aware that the publishers, in an extraordinary act of generosity, or as a brilliant loss leader, have posted much of the book on line. That is in itself an essential resource for the community.

This book is brilliant and is an instant must-have for your library, as it will go hand in hand with your collection of field guides. The field guides will often tell you in what habitat a bird is found, but they do not say where these habitats are. Knowing where and how to find the habitat is key. This is the great strength of Habitats of the World, and is powerful information when seeking wildlife. Rather than trying to find a bird species based on locations, with the help of this book, the thought process now flips to looking for the habitat. Once in a specific habitat, you can refer to a list of expected species to find within that habitat. Not only does it clarify the global patterns of habitat types, it helps you understand your local habitat better too.I especially enjoy the Introduction section of the book, where the authors discuss the genesis of the book, the zoogeographic regions of the planet, climate descriptions and graphs for each habitat, and the global habitat key. The text is very well written, blending scientific information with easy to understand explanations. It flows smoothly and I have learned a lot from every page. I have a degree in Ecology, and I feel like I understand the big picture of our world way better after reading this book. Thanks for creating it. Well done!

If you are a birder, naturalist or ecologist you can have one right away. Amazing information about habitats of the world.

Beautifully presented, well made quality book. Some strangely opinionated sentences, but otherwise an excellent field guide.

Conciso y ameno con sus fotos y dibujos.

Fantastisch werk dat je waarnemingen van vogels en zoogdieren waar ook ter wereld in perspectief plaatst. Veldgidsformaat maar weegt 1275g, te zwaar dus om mee op reis te nemen. De ondertitel 'A Field Guide for Birders, Naturalists and Ecologists' klopt dus niet helemaal: waarom zou je ook zo'n zwaar boek meenemen op reis voor de pakweg 4 pagina's die gewijd zijn aan de habitat die jij wil bezoeken? Ik had het boek liever in groter formaat gehad, maar dat is dan zowat het enige minpunt. Maar verder niets dan superlatieven: 189 habitats worden uitgebreid beschreven met verspreidingskaarten, dierenleven, klimaat, kruisverwijzingen naar 'verwante' habitats, tips waar je de beste voorbeelden kan zien, enz. Tussendoor ook kaderteksten met uitleg over het ontstaan van habitats/landschapselementen. Dat alles overvloedig geïllustreerd met foto's van de habitat zelf en typerende soorten, wat het ook een lust voor het oog maakt. Ik heb het 5 sterren gegeven, maar het had er ook 5.5 kunnen hebben ware het niet dat een index voor de vermelde plantensoorten ontbreekt (er is wel lijst met vermelde soorten en hun wetenschappelijke naam; een index voor de dieren is er wel). Hoe dan ook: dit boek is een absolute aanrader, en niet alleen voor wereldreizigers.

If you want to widen your understanding of the world of birds, this is a fabulous book. Thoroughly researched in the field by highly experienced international birders, but written in a way which can inform readers at all levels. A book you will appreciate having in your bird book collection, to dip into wherever you plan to travel on birding trips.