On this page

The books on this page cover the whole of Central America or a large part of the area. The books are arranged by publication date with the most recent at the top of the page.

Central American countries

Belize
Costa Rica
El Salvador
Guatemala
Honduras
Nicaragua
Panama

Also see:

Mexico

Raptors of Mexico and Central America

William S. Clark & N. John Schmitt

2017

"The essential field guide to the raptors of Mexico and Central America Raptors are among the most challenging birds to identify in the field due to their bewildering variability of plumage, flight silhouettes, and behavior. Raptors of Mexico and Central America is the first illustrated guide to the region's 69 species of raptors, including vagrants. It features 32 stunning color plates and 213 color photos, and a distribution map for each regularly occurring species. Detailed species accounts describe key identification features, age-related plumages, status and distribution, subspecies, molt, habitats, behaviors, potential confusion species, and more. Raptors of Mexico and Central America is the essential field guide to this difficult bird group and the ideal travel companion for anyone visiting this region of the world."

Neotropical Owls: Diversity and Conservation

Editor: Paula L. Enriquez

2017

(Originally published in Spanish by ECOSUR)

"This book presents a comprehensive biological and ecological information about owls in the neotropic area. In addition the book covers topics such as threats and conservation strategies for these nocturnal birds of prey from 18 Neotropical countries. Owls are a good example of diversification processes and have developed evolutionary characteristics themselves. These species are found almost everywhere in the world but most of them are distributed in tropical areas and about a third of them live in the Neotropics. This biogeographic region has a high biodiversity and even share lineages of species from other continents because at some point all were part of Pangea. Although we still have much to know and understand about this diverse, scarcely studied and threatened group this work aims to be a precedent for future and further research on the subject.

Peterson Field Guide to Birds of Northern Central America

Jesse Fagan, Oliver Komar

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

2016

"Birding is one of the fastest-growing sectors of the tourism industry in northern Central America, and this is the newest and best bird field guide to this region the first new bird guide in over ten years for the countries of Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador. This guide is far more complete than previous ones, with more than 800 species accounts, full-color range maps, and 1,000 beautiful illustrations and behavioral vignettes covering all species recorded in the region.This guide is designed for birders to carry in the field, and it is a must-have for any birder who visits the area."

Neotropical Birds of Prey: Biology and Ecology of a Forest Raptor Community

Editor: David F. Whitacre

2012

"The Peregrine Fund conducted a significant eight-year-long research program on the raptor species, including owls, in Tikal National Park in Guatemala to learn more about Neotropical birds of prey. Impressive and unprecedented in scale, this pioneering research also involved the development of new methods for detecting, enumerating, and studying these magnificent but often elusive birds in their forest home. Beautifully illustrated with photographs of previously little-known species, the resulting book is the most important single source for information on the lowland tropical forest raptor species found in Central America. Neotropical Birds of Prey covers twenty specific species in depth, including the ornate hawk-eagle, the barred forest-falcon, the bat falcon, and the Mexican wood owl, offering thorough synopses of all current knowledge regarding breeding biology and behavior, diet, habitat use, and spatial needs. Contributors to this landmark work also show how the populations fit together as a community with overlapping habitat and prey needs that can put them in competition with reptiles and mammalian carnivores as well, yet differ from one another in their nesting or feeding behaviors and population dynamics."

Aves: A Survey Of The Literature Of Neotropical Ornithology

Tom Taylor

2011

"This book was originally prepared in conjunction with an exhibition of books from the E.A. McIlhenny Natural History Collection displayed at the Hill Memorial Library in 2011, showcasing Four centuries of illustrated books on the birds of Mexico, the Caribbean, and South and Central America. The book is far more than an exhibition catalogue as it contains biographies of many eminent collectors and ornithologists who worked and traveled in the New World tropics. A commentary on the principal works produced by these individuals accompanies the biographical sketches."

Field Guide to the Birds of Mexico and Central America

Ber Van Perlo

2006

(Same text and plates as the Princeton book below)

"The essential guide to identifying every species of bird you may see in this area, for tourists and wildlife enthusiasts. 'Birds of Mexico and Central America' is the only field guide to illustrate and describe every species of bird you may see in Central America from Mexico to Panama, including Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Costa Rica. Features over 1,500 species. Text gives information on key identification features, habitat, and songs and calls. All plumages for each species are illustrated, including those of males, females and juveniles The 98 colour plates appear opposite their relevant text for quick and easy reference. Distribution maps are included, showing where each species can be found and how common it is, to further aid identification. This comprehensive and highly portable guide is a must for all birdwatchers visiting the region."

Birds of Mexico and Central America

Ber Van Perlo

Princeton University Press

2006

(Same text and plates as the Collins book above)

"Birds of Mexico and Central America is the only field guide to illustrate and describe every species of bird in Central America from Mexico to Panama, including Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica. Written and illustrated by Ber van Perlo, this handsome work covers more than 1,500 species. Information on key identification features, habitats, songs, and calls is included as are distribution maps showing each species' location and prevalence. Enhanced with ninety-eight color plates, the book provides illustrations of all plumages for the adult males and females as well as the juveniles of each species. Illustrations appear opposite their relevant text for quick and easy reference."

Chasing Neotropical Birds

Vera and Bob Thornton

University of Texas Press

2005

"From Belize to Brazil, the forests of the American neotropics are home to an astonishing array of birds - over 3,700 different species, or nearly 40 percent of all the birds on earth. Because of this overwhelming abundance, birders come from all over the world to try to catch glimpses of species that can be found nowhere else, such as toucans and ant birds, motmots and manakins, bellbirds and cocks-of-the-rock, and practically all of the planet's hummingbirds. Two such birding enthusiasts are Vera and Bob Thornton, who have spent fifteen years photographing these special and exotic birds in the rainforests of eleven different countries of Central and South America.In this book, you'll find more than a hundred spectacular color photographs they took during their travels, along with a highly entertaining account of their adventures - and misadventures - in chasing these exotic neotropicals. The birds pictured here are among the Thorntons' personal favorites - birds that, in their words, 'either dazzled us with their beauty, or charmed us by their behavior, or, in a few cases, simply challenged us by the mystique of their rarity'. This latter category includes such elusive and sought-after birds as the Black-crowned Antpitta, the Zigzag Heron, the Rufous -vented Ground-Cuckoo, the Bare-necked Umbrellabird, and the monkey-eating Harpy Eagle. In the accompanying text, Bob Thornton engagingly describes the challenges as well as the magic of negotiating the neotropical rainforests in search of colorful birds to photograph."

Birds of Tropical America

Steven Hilty

University of Texas Press

2005

"Birds of Tropical America was published by Chapters Publishing in 1994 and went out of print in 1997. UT Press is pleased to reissue it with a new epilogue and updated references."

Shorebirds of North America: The Photographic Guide

Dennis Paulson

2005

"Identifying shorebirds can be a challenge and having a field guide specifically devoted to this group gives any birder an edge. Yet until now, no guide has illustrated or described the complete range of North and Central American shorebirds. This beautifully illustrated volume represents the first complete guide to North and Central American shorebirds ever published. Unlike other guide books, which have traditionally relied on paintings to represent shorebirds, this one contains an extensive series of striking photographs - most never published before. More than 530 photos illustrate all shorebird species in their varied plumages, and are accompanied by text that points out the variation within each species. The book also includes identification tips and ways to distinguish shorebirds from all similar species, at rest and in flight. Brief descriptions of voice, behaviour, habitat, and range are given for each species."

Where to Watch Birds in Central America and the Caribbean

Nigel Wheatley and David Brewer

2002

"This guide covers the best birding sites in Central America and the Caribbean. In a format familiar to readers of this very popular series, each site is considered in terms of 'Habitat', 'Timing', 'Access' and 'Calendar', allowing birders to plan excursions to maximise the chances of getting the best out of each site and each region. The book includes detailed maps of the larger sites, plus general maps of the regions covered, and it is illustrated with line drawings."

Where to Watch Birds in Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean

Nigel Wheatley and David Brewer

2002

"Where to Watch Birds in Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean is the sixth and latest in a series that will ultimately cover the whole world. Including many of the most alluring and rewarding birding destinations anywhere, this is the first one-volume guide to this vast region. It is the ideal port of call for steadfast birders and nature-minded wayfarers alike. Around 430 species of birds have been recorded in the Caribbean, of which an amazing 159 are endemic. Central America has a species list of about 1,350, with some 340 endemics. This book treats over 215 individual sites in detail, covering every Central American country, Mexico, and all of the popular Caribbean islands. Detailed site accounts enable birders to maximize their chances of finding the special birds of each region, from the spectacular Resplendent Quetzal of Costa Rica's cloud forest to the threatened Imperial Parrot of Dominica. Endemic species for each site and region are listed separately, and the accounts include practical information on accommodation, transport, safety, and the timing of visits. Other interesting wildlife is also listed for each site, and numerous site maps and line drawings further enhance the text. The information presented is succinct, yet detailed enough for readers to work out their own itineraries with a minimum of time and effort."

Watching Wildlife: Central America

Luke Hunter and David Andrew

2002

"Aimed at experts and beginners, this guide covers the wildlife of Belize, Costa Rica and Panama. The colour photographs highlight the region's variety of mammals, birds and reptiles."

The Monkey's Bridge: Mysteries of Evolution in Central America

David Rains Wallace

1997

"The Monkey's Bridge is an epic story of evolution in Central America, and of the human and natural history of its crucial role as the link between the two continents. The ecosystems of Central America are currently endangered by such developments as the expansion of the Panama Canal and the completion of the Pan American highway, making this book an invaluable resource for both ecotourists and conservationists working to preserve the biodiversity of this unique region."

Central America: A Natural and Cultural History

Editor: Anthony G. Coates

1997

"This text provides a range of information on the cultural and natural history of Central America. Chapters discuss geological origins, differences between the surrounding oceans, the importance of natural corridors, the history of the native people and colonisers, and crucial conservation issues."

A Guide to the Birds of Mexico and Northern Central America

Steve N.G. Howell & Sophie Webb

1995

"A field guide to the 1,070 bird species, including North American migrants, found in Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, and western Nicaragua. More than 180 species are endemic to this region. The book details appearance, voice, habitat, behaviour (including nests and eggs) and distribution. Range maps are included with species accounts, and introductory essays give essential background information, with special appendices summarizing useful information on the avifaunas of various offshore Pacific and Caribbean islands. Includes 71 colour plates and 39 black-and-white drawings.

Contents: Area covered; Geography and bird distribution; Climate and habitat; Migration; History of ornithology in Mexico; Conservation; Birding in Mexico and northern Central America; Using this book; Taxonomy; Molt and plumage; Outline of the species accounts; Family and Species Accounts; Appendices on extinct species, hypothetical occurrence, birds of Pacific Islands and Caribbean Islands, and additional species of eastern Honduras; Bibliography."

The Ecology of Migrant Birds: A Neotropical Perspective

John H. Rappole

1995

"Incorporating new information on migratory birds, most gathered within the past decade, this comprehensive synthesis is the first book to explore migration principally from the perspective of the tropical, or nonbreeding, portion of the migrant life cycle."

Threatened Birds of the Americas: The ICBP/IUCN Red Data Book, Part 2

N.J. Collar

1992

"This volume covers in full the 302 threatened species of the Caribbean and Latin America, and in summary form 25 species of North America and the eastern Pacific islands (these species will be covered in detail in the fourth volume). Each species account includes a brief summary, followed by sections on distribution, population, ecology, threats, conservation measures taken and proposed. Appendixes cover threatened birds by category of threat, by country, and near threatened birds of the Americas."

Birds of Tropical America

Alexander F. Skutch

Corrie Herring Hooks Series

University of Texas Press

1983

"Describes the behavior, nesting habits, and life cycles of the various types of birds in the tropical forests of South and Central America."

A Bird Watcher's Adventures in Tropical America

Alexander F. Skutch

Corrie Herring Hooks Series

University of Texas Press

1978

"A well-known naturalist and bird-watcher tells of some of his more memorable experiences during journeys through the wilds of Mexico and Central and South America in the 1930s and early 1940s."

Field Guide to the Birds of Mexico and Central America

Louie Irby Davis

1972

264 pages.

Life Histories of Central American Birds III

Alexander F. Skutch

Illustrations: Don R. Eckelberry

Pacific Coast Avifauna Number 35

Cooper Ornithological Society

1969

From the introduction:

"This third volume of Life Histories contains accounts of representatives of five families of the Tyranni, that major division of the great order of passerine birds which is considered more primitive, because its members have vocal organs of simpler structure and accordingly produce less varied songs than we find in the larger branch of this order, the Oscines or true songbirds. The five families treated here are all confined to the Western Hemisphere, and their members are found largely in the tropical regions of the American continents, Only one of these families, the Furnariidae or ovenbirds, is well represented in the temperate regions of southern South America, and only a single representative of these five large families has extended its range as far northward as the southern boundary of the United States. The sixth family of the Tyranni that is represented north of the Isthmus of Panama by more than one rare species, the Tyrannidae or American flycatchers, was, in order to keep these volumes fairly uniform in size, treated in Part II. For the same reason, the present volume has been extended beyond the passerines to include the nearly cosmopolitan woodpecker."

Life Histories of Central American Highland Birds

Alexander F. Skutch

1967

The Birds of Colombia and Adjacent Areas of South and Central America

R Mayer de Schauensee

Livingston Publishing Co

1964

430 pages with colour and black and white plates.

Life Histories of Central American Birds II

Alexander F. Skutch

Pacific Coast Avifauna Number 34

Cooper Ornithological Society

1960

From the introduction:

"This volume of life histories follows closely the plan of its predecessor. The observations recorded herein were made in the same places as those which fill the first volume, in the introduction to which they are briefly described. But the studies reported here were made over a longer interval of time, extending from 1929 to 1956. Nearly all of my more recent bird watching has been done on my farm at Quizarra where I have resided since 194 1. It is on the northern side of the valley of El General which is on the Pacific slope of southern Costa Rica at an altitude of about 2500 Feet."

Life Histories of Central American Birds

Alexander F. Skutch

Pacific Coast Avifauna Number 31

Cooper Ornithological Society

1954

From the introduction:

"Lying between two great continents each with its peculiar avifauna, the thousand mile-long isthmus known as Central America has a wonderfully rich bird life. The greater part of the region is comprised in the Caribbean lowlands, where the rainfall is high and rather uniformly distributed through the year and the forests tall and heavy. The colorful bird life of these warm and humid lowlands is closely related to that of northern and eastern South America. Nearly all the genera, and the majority even of the species of these Caribbean birds, are found also in the southern continent; many of the species extend across the tropics to Paraguay and northern Argentina. On the Pacific side of the Cordillera, in southern Costa Rica and adjacent Panama, lies another area of low elevation and heavy rainfall, where the forests resemble those of the Caribbean region and the avifauna is much the same, although there are numerous forms endemic to this section and many of the Caribbean types fail to occur. In the drier country stretching along the Pacific coast from the Gulf of Nicoya in Costa Rica to the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in Mexico, and in deep arid valleys in the rain shadow of the mountains on the Caribbean side of northern Central America, there is found a quite distinct group of birds of varied origins, many of which appear to be derived from the north rather than from the south. Only a few of the wider-ranging and more adaptable species of birds dwell in the most humid as well as the most arid sections of the Central American lowlands."

Biologia Centrali-Americana

Aves

Volume I-III: Text

Volume IV: Plates

Authors: Frederick DuCane Godman and Osbert Salvin

Colour plates: J.G. Keulemans

1879-1904

From the introduction:

The enumeration of the Aves of Mexico and Central America was commenced in September 1879 by the late Osbert Salvin and myself, and is now completed in four Volumes, three of text and one of plates. Salvin's long-continued ill-health, and sudden death in 1898, greatly retarded the conclusion of the Third Volume, which was subsequently finished by me with the assistance of Dr. R. Bowdler Sharpe and Mr. Ogilvie-Grant. On this account, too, it has been decided to abandon all idea of a Supplement, and to close the volumes as they stand. The critical examination of the large amount of additional material that has come to hand during the progress of publication, and the analysis of the extensive literature on the subject issued in recent years, could only have been dealt with satisfactorily with the assistance of Salvin himself, and I am reluctantly compelled to leave this portion of the subject untouched. It may be noted, however, that the additions are mainly amongst the Passeres, which were completed in 1892. The physical features of the whole region are described in the Preface to the Lepidoptera Ehopalocera, concluded in 1901, and in the Appendix to the Botany, published in 1887, and need not be again repeated here. This Introduction will therefore be chiefly devoted to some remarks on geographical distribution, to the journeys made by us in Central America, and the sources from which our material has been obtained, concluding with a Table showing the distribution of the Families and Species as arranged in this work. To make this latter as complete as possible, the additional countries whence specimens were subsequently received are, however, specially indicated.

On the Psittacidae of Central America

Osbert Salvin

Volume 13, Issue 1, pages 86-100

Isis

1871

Opening lines:

"Having recently received, in a collection from Veragua, two Parrots, one of which is apparently quite new to science, and the other new to the fauna of Central America, I take the opportunity of shortly reviewing such members of the family Psittacidae as are found between the Isthmus of Darien and the northern confines of the South-Mexican avifauna."

Exotic Ornithology

Philip Lutley Sclater and Osbert Salvin

Bernard Quaritch

1869

Originally issued in 13 parts between 1866 and 1869.

From the preface:

"The present work, therefore, which has been issued in numbers since October 1st, 1866, contains in its now complete form a series of one hundred coloured illustrations of Central and South American birds. The number of species figured is 104, belonging to 51 different genera. To the final illustration of each genus has been appended in nearly every case a systematic list of all the other American species of the same genus known to the authors, which, it is hoped, will greatly increase the value of the volume as a work of reference. In conclusion, the authors have to record their best thanks to Dr. William Peters, Director of the Royal Zoological Museum of Berlin, and to the authorities of the Jardin des Plantes of Paris, and of the Norwich and Norfolk Museum, who have most liberally allowed some of their rarest specimens to be removed to London for the use of the present work, as well as to other kind friends who, as will be seen by references in the following pages, have favoured them with the loan of specimens and with useful information upon different points."