Shrikes of the World (Helm Identification Guides)

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Details of any birds outside Scotland are welcomed. Acceptance as cristatus/ mitratus/abadiei might be possible but a ringing recovery would be necessary to identify an individual to subspecies. ( updated Dec 2017 AMS).

Shrikes of the World (Helm Identification Guides) - Goodreads

Following the nitty-gritty of shrike relationships, there are general yet truly detailed accounts of the two shrike genera, filled with rich descriptions of their history, morphology, migration, habitat, and more, and includes a particularly enjoyable section on their food storage behaviour, with suitably gruesome illustrations. The colour plates are simply spectacular, with the illustrations being almost photographic in their detail. The species accounts follow a set structure and include high quality photographs of the birds in the field, with maps clearly showing the known range and where there are some uncertainties. The family Laniidae was introduced (as the subfamily Lanidia) in 1815 by the French polymath Constantine Samuel Rafinesque. The type genus Lanius had been introduced by Carl Linnaeus in 1758. [3] [4] Claims of ‘classic’ soemmerringii (i.e. those considered to show characters beyond the range of monedula) are welcomed if accompanied by photographs but the admission of this subspecies to the British List without proof of origin in the form of a ringing recovery seems unlikely. ( updated Dec 2017 AMS).Lewington, I. 1999. Separation of Pallid Swift and pekinensis Common Swift. Birding World 12: 450-452.

Shrikes: A Guide to the Shrikes of the World - Lefranc Shrikes: A Guide to the Shrikes of the World - Lefranc

Merlin comprises nine subspecies, of which four are of most relevance here. In the Palearctic aesalon breeds across northern Europe to western Siberia, subaesalon in Iceland and pallidus (‘Steppe Merlin’) in northern Kazakhstan and south-west Siberia. In North America, nominate columbarius (‘Taiga Merlin’) breeds across the north of the continent. The splitting of Palearctic and Nearctic Merlins has been proposed. No doubt that this magnificent book will contribute to a better understanding of these wonderful birds and become an inspiration for the next generation of birders and professional ornithologists alike. Small, B. J. & Walbridge, G. 2005. A review of the identification of ‘Balearic Woodchat Shrike’, and details of three British records. British Birds 98: 34-42.

Garner, M. 2002. Identification and vagrancy of American Merlins in Europe. Birding World 15: 468-480. The identification of ‘classic’ homeyeri rests largely on the amount of white in the secondaries and spread tail but is hampered by the significant individual, age and sex-related and geographical variation both within this subspecies and within excubitor. Two broad plumage types of the latter are recognised – a darker morph with white restricted to the primaries (most prevalent in the northern part of the range and formerly given the name ‘ melanopterus’) and a paler morph with white extending onto the secondaries (most prevalent in France and Germany and forrmerly given the name ‘ galliae’). This latter type may approach homeyeri in appearance, as, might excubitor/ homeyeri intergrades. The texts for each species include an introduction, detailed subsections on identification (including field identification, voice and a fuller description), geographic variation, moult and biometrics, as well as population movements and vagrancy. Each species is accompanied by a series of photos depicting plumage variation and at least one range map. Other than nominate excubitor, which breeds across northern and central Europe and winters in Britain in small numbers, only two subspecies of Great Grey Shrike – homeyeri and pallidirostris – are of relevance as potential or actual vagrants to Britain.

Shrikes of the World - Bloomsbury Publishing Shrikes of the World - Bloomsbury Publishing

And so, the publication of the latest in the Helm Identification Guides series will no doubt be of great interest to many. Shrikes of the World, by French ornithologist Norbert Lefranc and acclaimed artist Tim Worfolk, is in fact a fully updated version of Shrikes, their seminal work published in 1997. Audio: Andrew Spencer, XC91967. Accessible at https://www.xeno-canto.org/91967) How do shrikes nest and raise young? Willow Tit comprises fourteen subspecies but only three are of relevance here – kleinschmidti (‘British Willow Tit’) from Britain, borealis (‘Northern Willow Tit’) from Scandinavia, Denmark, the Baltic States, European Russia and Ukraine and rhenanus (‘Central European Willow Tit’) breeding on the near-continent east to westernmost Germany and north-west Switzerland.Identification to subspecies is difficult though cristatus is paler and more ‘grey and white’ than scoticus. The subspecies mitratus is more similar to Scottish birds. However, mitratus intergrades extensively with cristatus, producing birds of variable appearance. This book is the first monograph in English on the 34 shrike species distributed across Africa, Eurasia and North America. These birds have attracted the attention of ornithologists for a long time, mainly because of their predatory nature and the methods which they use to dispatch their prey. In the book, the most important information on shrikes of the World is summarized, much of which has accumulated in the ornithological literature and obtained by the author himself. These voluminous empirical data are also used by the author in an attempt to reconstruct the evolutionary history of the group at different stages of its phylogenesis, from the early origins of the family Laniidae, presumably in Africa, through the secondary expansion of species across Eurasia and into the New World.