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Argentina

The books are arranged by publication date with the most recent at the top of the page.

South America

South America

For books about individual South American countries see:

Argentina
Bolivia
Brazil
Chile
Colombia
Ecuador
French Guiana
Guyana
Paraguay
Peru
Suriname
Uruguay
Venezuela

Patagonia: Flora & Fauna

Marcelo Beccaceci

2013

Bilingual: Spanish / English

"Fold-out guide to birds, mammals, amphibians, reptiles, trees, bushes and flowering plants of the region."

Iguazú: Aves / Aves / Birds

Marcelo Beccaceci and Gerardo Teo

2012

A short, trilingual (Spanish, Portuguese, English) guide to birds of the Iguazú National Park in Agentina.

Aves des Argentina y Uruguay: Guía de Identificación

Birds of Argentina and Uruguay: A Field Guide

Tito Narosky and Dario Yzurieta

16th edition

2011

Bilingual: Spanish / English

"The 16th edition of this guide has been greatly improved and now features illustrations and photographs. It is indispensable for identifying all the birds of Argentina and Uruguay, including many from Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia and Chile. The main physical features, behaviour and habitat are clearly described. Common and scientific names, sighting probability, conservation status and ornithogeographical zones are given. The guide covers some 1000 species and contains over 2000 illustrations. The guide comes in a see-through waterproof plastic carrying bag, and includes a separate bilingual checklist and a DVD with some 900 birds sounds."

Aves do Pampa / Birds of the Pampas

Edson Endrigo

2011

Bilingual: Portuguese / English

Photographs of 100 species found in the pampas of Argentina and Uruguay.

Patagonia & Antartida Guía de Campo / Patagonia & Antarctica Field Guide

Marcelo Beccaceci

2010

Bilingual: Spanish / English

"The most popular guide in Patagonia, it includes over 500 full colour illustrations to identify birds, mammals, fish, amphibious, reptiles, trees, bushes and flowering plants. A map of all the Argentine and Chilean Parks and Reserves in Patagonia, and a map of the Antarctica continent. Detailed information on the natural history of Patagonia and Antarctica."

Buenos Aires: Guía de Campo / Buenos Aires: Field Guide

Marcelo Beccaceci

2009

Bilingual: Spanish / English

"This guide has more than 500 full colour illustrations to identify native species of birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibia, fish, butterflies, trees, bushes and plants. Map of Buenos Aires Province and its protected natural areas."

Iguazú Guía de Campo / Iguaçu Guía de Campo / Iguazú Field Guide

Marcelo Beccaceci

2009

Trilingual: Spanish / Portuguese / English

"The Iguazu field guide has more than 500 colour illustrations to identify birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fish, insects, trees, bushes and other plants. Maps of the Argentine and Brazilian national parks. Detailed information on the natural history of the area."

Birds of the Pampa: Life and Behavior of the Neotropical Birds

Roberto Ares, Sally Dietrich and Cora Rimoldi

2008

Illustrated Handbook of the Birds of Patagonia: Argentine Antarctica and Islands of the Southern Atlantic

Carlos Julio Kovacs, Ors Kovacs, Zsolt Kovacs and Carlos Mariano Kovacs

2005

A guide that covers 343 species recorded in Patagonia with 750 illustrations.

Aves de La Ciudad de Buenos Aires / Birds of Buenos Aires

Tito Narosky, Dario Yzurieta and Christian Henschke

2005

Bilingual: Spanish / English

A guide to over 270 species found in and around Buenos Aires.

Penguins of Patagonia and Antarctic Peninsula

Enrique Couve and Claudio F. Vidal

2005

"The species covered in this book include the King Penguin, Emperor Penguin, Gentoo Penguin, Adelie Penguin, Chinstrap Penguin, Rockhopper Penguin, Macaroni Penguin, Humboldt Penguin and Magellanic Penguin."

Multi-ethnic Bird Guide to the Austral Temperate Forests of South America

Ricardo Rozzi

2004

"This is an illustrated guide to the forest birds of Southern Chile and Argentina, and the indigenous traditions associated with them. The book includes two CDs with recordings of bird calls. Through its illustrations, recordings and text, this work conveys the natural history and ethnography of the southernmost forests of the world."

National Parks of Patagonia / Parques Nacionales de la Patagonia

Marcelo Beccaceci

2004

Bilingual: Spanish / English

"The National Parks of Patagonia in Argentina are the premier parks in South America. This book displays magnificent photographs of each of these protected areas and serves, at the same time, as an introduction and guide to the amazing natural wonders of the southern Andes, lakes, glaciers, coastal wildlife and vivid windswept steppe of the southernmost region of the Americas."

Birds of Patagonia, Tierra del Fuego and Antarctic Peninsula: The Falkland Islands and South Georgia

Enrique Couve and Claudio F. Vidal

2003

"This is a comprehensive field guide to all the resident, migrant and vagrant birds of Patagonia, Tierra del Fuego and Antarctic Peninsula, including the Falklands and South Georgia Islands. This is a unique region on the planet including the frozen austral fjords of Chile and the steep Argentina Atlantic coast that is virtually teemed with wildlife. Between are the Valdivian temperate forests that are the realm of the Chucao Tapaculo and the windy arid Patagonian Steppes where Rheas and Tinamous travel in groups. The guide describes over 400 species with over 2000 colour photographs. Descriptive accounts are provided for each species, covering identification, status, range and habits. Distribution maps are also included. It is hoped that this book will inspire the reader to observe, learn and therefore protect the rich but also fragile birdlife of this remote outer corner of the world."

The Atlantic Forest of South America: Biodiversity Status, Threats and Outlook

Editor: Carlos Galindo-Leal and Ibsen De Gusmao Camara

2003

"The Atlantic Forest of Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina is one of the most devastated and most highly threatened ecosystem on the planet; less than eight percent of the original forest remains and is facing intense population pressures from all sides. The Atlantic Forest of South America presents a detailed assessment of the state of biodiversity in the Atlantic Forest. Separate sections examine each of the three countries that are home to the forest, beginning with a brief overview that explores the dynamics of biodiversity loss in that country and outlines the topics to be addressed. Following the overview are individual chapters that analyze: current status and monitoring of biodiversity; conservation priorities and important species; socioeconomic drivers of deforestation; policy initiatives for conservation; the capacity of local institutions to provide solutions and implement effective conservation actions; A final section covers trinational issues. Chapters are written by local, regional, national, and international experts from a range of disciplines who are directly involved with conservation efforts in the region; collectively they draw on decades of study and personal experience to offer the most comprehensive examination available of the Atlantic Forest."

Birds of Argentina and Uruguay: A Field Guide

T. Narosky and D. Yzurieta

2003

A guide that covers 975 species recorded in the area.

Illustrated Checklist: Birds of Southern South America and Antarctica

Martin R De La Pena and Maurice Rumboll

2001

"South America, though home to about one-third of the world's bird species and twice as many endemic families of birds as any other continent, has the world's sparsest population of birdwatchers. Birds of Southern South America and Antarctica illustrates and describes all the known species - more than 1,000 of them - in a vast swath of this underexplored birder's paradise, from Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Paraguay, southern Brazil, and Uruguay to parts of Antarctica. Just some of the birds it covers are teals, tinamous, chachalacas, conebills, cuckoos, macaws, parakeets, parrots, penguins, nightjars, hummingbirds, ovenbirds, tyrants, and tanagers. The habitats range from torrid rainforests and cloudforests to grasslands, the world's driest desert, second highest mountain range, and ice caps. The 97 color plates depict each species' male in breeding plumage, with the female and young often shown as well. On the facing page are concise textual descriptions of each species, highlighting not only salient physical features and behavioral patterns but the calls or songs of each. Casual birders and ornithologists contemplating a journey to the region, or simply interested in a one-volume overview of its bird life, will not want to miss this book."

Annotated Checklist of the Birds of Argentina

Juan Mazar Barnett and Mark Pearman

Bilingual: English/Spanish

2001

"A complete and updated checklist of the Birds recorded in Argentina. This comprehensive work brings together a wealth of information, combining extensive recent data with a re-evaluation of the historical literature and a re-examination of critical museum specimens, thus providing a complete update on the status of the Argentine avifauna. The list also covers the Argentine Atlantic Territory and the South Atlantic islands. All information is summarised with brief, cross-referenced species texts, and thus the "Annotated Checklist of the Birds of Argentina" doubles as a field aid and a definitive reference work, useful for both the travelling birder and likewise the dedicated ornithologist, in a single handy volume. It features: a complete species checklist in grid format; life-zone codes for every species; the latest taxonomic and systematic developments; an in-depth analysis of 54 hypothetical species; detailed notes on 34 species recorded for the first time since 1987; notes on the last record for 42 rarities; an evaluation of 34 species now considered erroneous;and listings of threatened, endemic and introduced species."

Birds of the Beagle Channel and Cape Horn / Aves del Canal Beagle y Cabo de Hornos

Enrique Couve and Claudio F. Vidal

2000

Bilingual: Spanish / English

"Provides a guide to all of the birds recorded in the region. Those found most commonly are accompanied by a comprehensive description detailing their geographical range and status, along with a photograph of the bird for identification purposes. Areas covered include: the Southern part of Chilean and Argentinian Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego, Staten Island (Argentina), the Southern islands of Beagle Channel including the Cape Horn Archipelago and Diego Ramirez Islands (Chile) and surrounding waters."

Illustrated Checklist: Birds of Southern South America and Antarctica

Martin R De La Pena and Maurice Rumboll

1998

"This field guide illustrates and describes 1140 species of bird found in Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Paraguay, southern Brazil and Uruguay. The text details what kind of habitat the birds are found in, key identification features and notes on the songs and calls of each species."

A Guide to the Birds and Mammals of Coastal Patagonia

Graham Harris

1998

"This is a guidebook to the birds and mammals of the coastal region of Patagonia, an area at the southern tip of South America. It describes the 185 species of birds and 61 species of mammals known to inhabit the land and sea along 2000 miles of the Patagonian coast, from Peninsula Valdes to the Strait of Magellan. It contains information on identifying all the birds and mammals of the region, as well as details of the natural history of some of the more common species."

The National Parks of Argentina and Other Natural Areas

Francisco Erize et al

1995

"This is the first comprehensive overview of the numerous ecoregions of Argentina, with their ecological features and their main plant and animal components. It describes the main protected areas including all National Parks, as well as those firmly established or more promising natural reserves of the private and the provincial systems. These sites are presented as subtopics within the chapters dealing with the respective ecoregions, in order to combine a wider understanding of their ecology and their specific characteristics. It presents an overall view of the biological richness of the country."

Ornithological Gazetteer Of Argentina

Raymond A. Paynter

2nd edition

1995

A gazetteer and bibliography.

A Birders Field Checklist of the Birds of Argentina

Dave Sargeant

A 25 page booklet.

The Birds of Argentina

Russell Rogers

1992

An 18 page booklet.

Birds of the High Andes

Jon Fjeldsa and Niels Krabbe

1990

"The area covered is the temperate and alpine zones of the Andean region, from Venezuela and Colombia in the north, through Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Argentina, to the southernmost point on the coast of Chile. For each species, there is a full description, including plumage, habits, voices, breeding, habitat selection and range, plus detailed distribution maps. The colour plates depict over two thousand separate plumages in nearly one thousand species and subspecies. In addition there are numerous line drawings showing differential details, postures and nests."

A Birders Guide to Travel in Argentina

N. Gardner and D. Gardner

A guide to birdwatching sites and travelling in Argentina.

Birds of Isla Grande (Tierra del Fuego)

Philip S. Humphrey, David Bridge, Percival W. Reynolds, Roger Tory Peterson

Smithsonian Institution Press

1970

Birds of Chile and the Adjacent Regions of Argentina, Bolivia and Peru

A.W. Johnson

1965

A two volume, 398 page guide to the birds of the area. With colour plates.

Reports of the Princeton University Expeditions to Patagonia, 1896-1899, Volume 2: Ornithology

Part V: Psittacidae - Icteridae

Editor: William B. Scott

Witmer Stone

Princeton, The University / E. Schweizepbartsche Verlagshandlung

1927

Includes 14 colour plates by Keulemans and numerous black and white illustrations by others.

Observations on the Birds of Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Chile

Alexander Wetmore

1923

"The successful operation of the Federal Migratory Bird Treaty in according protection, hitherto uncertain, to migratory game and insectivorous birds, with resultant increase in many species, led naturally to inquiries regarding the present status of birds that migrate in winter beyond our borders. Particularly was this the case with those species, mainly shore birds, that pass south into the southern portion of the South American Continent. To gather first hand information on the questions involved the Biological Survey, United States Department of Agriculture, in May, 1920, dispatched the writer to Argentina with instructions to carry on the desired observations. During the extended period of field work incident to such a task there was abundant opportunity to make representative collections of native birds and to record many points of interest concerning their distribution and habits."

Birds of La Plata

Volume One

W. H. Hudson

Illustrations: Henrik Gronvold

1920

Originally published in two volumes.

From the introduction:

"The matter contained in this work is taken from the two volumes of the Argentine Ornithology published in 1888-9, and was my first book on the subject of bird life. The late Philip Lutley Sclater, who wasat that time the chief authority in this country on South American Ornithology, collaborated with me in the work to the extent of arranging the material in accordance with the most popular system of classification, and also adding descriptions, synonymy, etc., of the species unknown to me. All this matter which he contributed in order to make the work a complete list, I have thrown out, along with the synonymy of the species described by me. And there was good reason for this simplification, seeing that we cannot have a complete list owing to the fact that fresh species are continually being added to it by the collectors ; these species, new to the list, being mostly intruders or visitors found on the subtropical northern limits of the country. The original work (Argentine Ornithology) was thus out of date as soon as published, and the only interest it still retains for the reader is in the account of the birds' habits contributed by me. The work thus being no longer what it was, or was intended to be, a different title had to be found, and I cannot think of a more suitable one than The Birds of La Plata, which indicates that the species treated here are of the Plata country - a district of Argentina, Furthermore, it gives the book its proper place as a companion work to The Naturalist in La Plata. That book, also now old in years, has won a permanent place in the Natural History libraries, and treats of all forms of life observed by me; but as it was written after Argentine Ornithology I kept bird subjects out of it as far as possible, so that the two works should not overlap."

Birds of La Plata

Volume Two

W. H. Hudson

J.M. Dent & Sons

1920

Originally published in two volumes.

From the opening lines:

"The Trochilidae, or Humming-birds, a distinctly South American form, are one of the most numerous families of birds on the globe, numbering over 400 known species, and ranging over the entire continent down to Tierra del Fuego. How surprising then to find that of this multitude of species no more than about a dozen are found in the entire Argentine country 1 It only adds to the surprise when it is found that humming-birds of these few species are common enough throughout the country. Even on the almost treeless grassy pampas of Buenos Ayres which are unsuited to the habits of this feathered forest sprite, one species at all events is found every- where. Personally I was acquainted with only three species, and I recall that when living on the open pampas, every season when the white acacia at my home was in flower we had an invasion of Humming-birds. The plantation was divided by avenues of large acacia trees^ about a thousand in all, and as long as the blossoms lasted the little glittering birds were to be seen all over the place, in almost every tree, revelling in the fragrant sweetness; but no sooner were the flowers faded than they were gone, and thereafter two or three pairs only remained to breed and spend the summer months in the plantation. All these birds were of one species — the Glittering Humming-bird, but on going a few miles from home to the marsh and forest on the low shores of the Plata river I would find the other two species. I spent a summer, bird- watching, in a herdsman's hut in the marshy forest and used to go out at sunset to a small open space overgrown with viper's-bugloss in flower. There is no flower the Humming-bird likes so well, and he is most busy feeding just before dark. Here, standing among the flowers, I would watch the shining little birds coming and going, each bird spending a minute or two sucking honey, then vanishing back into the shadowy trees, and from fifty to a hundred of them would always be in sight all around me at a time. Here all three species were feeding together; but I was familiar with the habits of only one, the bird I describe here."

Reports of the Princeton University Expeditions to Patagonia, 1896-1899, Volume 2: Ornithology

Part IV: Anatidae - Tytodidae

Editor: William B. Scott

William Earl Dodge Scott associated with R. Bowdler Sharpe / Witmer Stone

Princeton, The University / E. Schweizepbart'sche Verlagshandlung

1915

Reports of the Princeton University Expeditions to Patagonia, 1896-1899, Volume 2: Ornithology

Part III: Charadriidae - Anatidae

Editor: William B. Scott

William Earl Dodge Scott associated with R. Bowdler Sharpe

Princeton, The University / E. Schweizepbartsche Verlagshandlung

1912

Reports of the Princeton University Expeditions to Patagonia, 1896-1899, Volume 2: Ornithology

Part II: Procellariidae - Charadriidae

Editor: William B. Scott

William Earl Dodge Scott associated with R. Bowdler Sharpe

Princeton, The University / E. Schweizepbart'sche Verlagshandlung

1910

The Birds Of Tierra del Fuego

Richard Crawshay

Bernard Quaritch

1907

From the introduction:

"The Birds dealt with in this work do not claim to represent absolutely every species occurring in Tierra del Fuego; but they are, I believe, the most comprehensive collection yet made in the island, and include many recorded from there for the first time. Such as it is, this collection is the work of my own hands. Alone as I was, an amateur, these results were not attained otherwise than slowly and laboriously, indeed wearily enough at times; for although the greatest consideration was shown me by the white settlers, conditions of life in this region are hardly conducive to work of the kind. Fellow travellers, then, who have practical experience of what Bird-collecting means in the earth's bye-ways - where so many pursuits claim their share of attention, and there is always one's life to live from day to day - will understand something of the effort involved. As to this book, it is of the nature of a work of the kind that, no matter how assiduously or how long one may apply oneself, there abides with the conscientious author the knowledge at heart that the result is not as satisfactory as he could wish. Such is my feeling. The further I have progressed the more have I come to realize the immensity of the subject, to say nothing of collateral questions arising by the way. Its scope, in fact, is well nigh infinite. All I claim for this effort in the direction of comprehending it is that I have done my best."

Reports of the Princeton University Expeditions to Patagonia, 1896-1899, Volume 2: Ornithology

Part I: Rheidae - Spheniscidae

Editor: William B. Scott

William Earl Dodge Scott associated with R. Bowdler Sharpe

Princeton, The University / E. Schweizepbart'sche Verlagshandlung

1904

The Naturalist in la Plata

W. H. Hudson

Chapman and Hall

1892

Preface:

"The plan I have followed in this little work has been to sift and arrange the facts I have gathered concerning the habits of the animals best known to me, preserving those only, which, in my judgment, appeared worth recording. In some instances a variety of subjects have linked themselves together in my mind, and have been grouped under one heading; consequently the scope of the book is not indicated by the list of contents: this want is, however, made good by an index at the end. It is seldom an easy matter to give a suitable name to a book of this description. I am conscious that the one I have made choice of displays a lack of originality; also, that this kind of title has been used hitherto for works constructed more or less on the plan of the famous Naturalist on the Amazon. After I have made this apology the reader, on his part, will readily admit that, in treating of the Natural History of a district so well known, and often described as the southern portion of La Plata, which has a temperate climate, and where nature is neither exuberant nor grand, a personal narrative would have seemed superfluous. The greater portion of the matter contained in this volume has already seen the light in the form of papers contributed to the Field, with other journals that treat of Natural History; and to the monthly magazines - Longmans, The Nineteenth Century, The Gentleman's Magazine, and others: I am indebted to the Editors and Proprietors of these periodicals for kindly allowing me to make use of this material. Of all animals, birds have perhaps afforded me most pleasure; but most of the fresh knowledge I have collected in this department is contained in a larger work (Argentine Ornithology), of which Dr. P. L. Sclater is part author. As I have not gone over any of the subjects dealt with in that work, bird-life has not received more than a fair share of attention in the present volume."

Argentine Ornithology: A Descriptive Catalogue Of The Birds Of The Argentine Republic, Volume 2

P. L. Sclater

With notes on their habits by: W. H. Hudson

R.H. Porter

1889

Preface:

" This volume contains our account of all the Orders of Birds met with within the Argentine Republic except the Passeres, which were treated of in the First Volume. It also comprises an Appendix and Index, and completes the work. The Introduction is issued with this, but is intended to be bound up with the first volume, and is paged to follow the contents of that volume. The total number of species which we have thus assigned to the Argentine Avifauna is 434. To this list, no doubt, considerable additions will have to be made when the more remote provinces of the Republic have been explored. We trust that this work may at least serve to excite residents in Argentina to make fresh investigations, for we are quite aware how imperfect is the compilation now offered to the public. It will be seen that in the following pages, as in the first volume, we have availed ourselves liberally of the information on Argentine birds contained in the writings of Dr. Burmeister, Mr. Barrows, and Mr. Gibson. To all of these gentlemen we wish to offer our most sincere thanks, together with apologies for the liberty we have taken. We have likewise to express our high estimation of the valuable notes which we have extracted from the published writings of the late Henry Durnford and Ernest William White, both most promising Naturalists, and both alike lost to Science at an early age. Nor must we omit to record our thanks to Hans, Graf von Berlepsch, of Miinderi, Mr. Walter B. Barrows, and Mr. Frank Withington, and other friends and correspondents who have aided us by information and by the loan of specimens. To the Zoological Society of London and to Mr. Henry Seebohm we are likewise much indebted for the loan of the woodcuts of which impressions are contained in these volumes."

Argentine Ornithology: A Descriptive Catalogue Of The Birds Of The Argentine Republic, Volume 1

P. L. Sclater

With notes on their habits by: W. H. Hudson

R.H. Porter

1888

Preface:

"The present volume contains an account of the Passeres of the Argentine Republic, which, as at present known, number some 229 species. The second volume, which it is hoped will be ready in the course of next year, will be devoted to the history of the remaining Orders of Birds, and will also contain the Introduction and Index, and complete the work. All the personal observations recorded in these pages are due to Mr. Hudson, while I am responsible for the arrangement, nomenclature, and scientific portions of the work. I have to acknowledge with many thanks a donation of £40 from the Royal Society, which has enabled Mr. Hudson to devote a portion of his time to the compilation of his interesting notes."