Birds of Africa Volume VIII: the Malagasy Region
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The eighth and very last volume of this monumental continental reference, this stone tablet of a tome contains pretty much all you need to know on the birds of the African Indian Ocean or Malagasy region.
Containing the islands or island groups of Madagascar, the Comoros, the Seychelles and the Mascarenes (Mauritius, Réunion and Rodrigues), the avifauna of the region is unique and quite self-contained. It has been partly isolated for up to 130 million years, resulting in the evolution of a high number of endemic species and even several endemic families. Clearly the region, and Madagascar in particular, is a must-visit destination for any world lister or anyone keen to see the bizarre birds and animals that inhabit the fourth-largest island in the world. The whole region has 41 genera found nowhere else, along with 157 endemic species.
The book follows the expected format, with a prolonged but illuminating introduction to the geography, geology and evolution of the major island groups, including the less ‘birdy’ outer islands, a guide to the biogeography, evolution and status of the birds themselves, the depressingly long list of extinctions we now expect from isolated island groups, and finally conservation. Naturally, the bulk of the volume is the taxonomically ordered species accounts, with lengthy information on the endemics, including distinctive subspecies.
The taxonomy is by and large up to date though idiosyncratic, with Amber Mountain Rock Thrush lumped with Forest Rock Thrush – disappointingly for this reviewer, who made a special trip to see it! It is, however, given subspecific status despite its lack of genetic differentiation. Interestingly, chats are still included in the thrush family, despite almost universal acceptance that they are in fact flycatchers; I assume this is to keep it in line with the classification of previous volumes.
For similar reasons the oft-accepted split of Madagascar Scops Owl into two species is also disallowed. The three local subspecies of African Stonechat are well illustrated and described, along with Reunion Stonechat (the former forming an unresolved cline that could perhaps see this latter form lumped in future). All resident and breeding species have detailed distribution maps and the majority of plumages are illustrated on the well-drawn plates by John Gale and Brian Small.
Native species – including the much-desired endemic ground rollers, asities, vangas, Malagasy warblers and fodies – are grouped in the 48 colour plates near the beginning of the book, while vagrants from further afield are illustrated at the back, where there is also an extensive bibliography. Indexes are in both English and French, which is spoken widely in the region.
This volume really does serve as an excellent deep reference to accompany Sinclair and Langrand’s field guide Birds of the Indian Ocean Islands, but due to weight and size it is best left at home while visiting.
My own backpacking and partly self-guided birding trip in 2005 left a few holes in my Malagasy list, and this book has certainly made me very anxious to go again.
• Birds of Africa Volume VIII: the Malagasy Region by Roger Safford and Frank Hawkins (Christopher Helm, London, 2013).
• 1,024 pages, 63 colour plates, 350 maps, 6 black-and-white illustrations, 8 tables.
• ISBN 9780713665321. Hbk, £125.Birdwatch Bookshop from £107.99.
Containing the islands or island groups of Madagascar, the Comoros, the Seychelles and the Mascarenes (Mauritius, Réunion and Rodrigues), the avifauna of the region is unique and quite self-contained. It has been partly isolated for up to 130 million years, resulting in the evolution of a high number of endemic species and even several endemic families. Clearly the region, and Madagascar in particular, is a must-visit destination for any world lister or anyone keen to see the bizarre birds and animals that inhabit the fourth-largest island in the world. The whole region has 41 genera found nowhere else, along with 157 endemic species.
The book follows the expected format, with a prolonged but illuminating introduction to the geography, geology and evolution of the major island groups, including the less ‘birdy’ outer islands, a guide to the biogeography, evolution and status of the birds themselves, the depressingly long list of extinctions we now expect from isolated island groups, and finally conservation. Naturally, the bulk of the volume is the taxonomically ordered species accounts, with lengthy information on the endemics, including distinctive subspecies.
The taxonomy is by and large up to date though idiosyncratic, with Amber Mountain Rock Thrush lumped with Forest Rock Thrush – disappointingly for this reviewer, who made a special trip to see it! It is, however, given subspecific status despite its lack of genetic differentiation. Interestingly, chats are still included in the thrush family, despite almost universal acceptance that they are in fact flycatchers; I assume this is to keep it in line with the classification of previous volumes.
For similar reasons the oft-accepted split of Madagascar Scops Owl into two species is also disallowed. The three local subspecies of African Stonechat are well illustrated and described, along with Reunion Stonechat (the former forming an unresolved cline that could perhaps see this latter form lumped in future). All resident and breeding species have detailed distribution maps and the majority of plumages are illustrated on the well-drawn plates by John Gale and Brian Small.
Native species – including the much-desired endemic ground rollers, asities, vangas, Malagasy warblers and fodies – are grouped in the 48 colour plates near the beginning of the book, while vagrants from further afield are illustrated at the back, where there is also an extensive bibliography. Indexes are in both English and French, which is spoken widely in the region.
This volume really does serve as an excellent deep reference to accompany Sinclair and Langrand’s field guide Birds of the Indian Ocean Islands, but due to weight and size it is best left at home while visiting.
My own backpacking and partly self-guided birding trip in 2005 left a few holes in my Malagasy list, and this book has certainly made me very anxious to go again.
• Birds of Africa Volume VIII: the Malagasy Region by Roger Safford and Frank Hawkins (Christopher Helm, London, 2013).
• 1,024 pages, 63 colour plates, 350 maps, 6 black-and-white illustrations, 8 tables.
• ISBN 9780713665321. Hbk, £125.Birdwatch Bookshop from £107.99.
