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This page lists books about birds and birdwatching in Guatemala.

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

Central America

Central America

For bird books about Central American countries see:

Belize
Costa Rica
El Salvador
Guatemala
Honduras
Nicaragua
Panama

Also see:

Mexico

Peterson Field Guide to Birds of Northern Central America

esse 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."

Birds of Guatemala: The Quetzal, Trogons and Hummingbirds / Aves de Guatemala, Volume 1: El Quetzal, Trogones y Colibrs

Milton Martinez G.

2013

"Birds of Guatemala, Volume 1: The Quetzal, Trogons and Hummingbirds contains a pictorial inventory of these birds with their corresponding description and other information that is pertinent for their identification; the text is in Spanish and English."

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."

Guatemala: Pacific Slope Birds: Foldout Guide

Rainforest Publications

2011

"Rainforest Publications' Fold-Out Pocket Field Guides are designed to slip into your pocket so that you can easily access our field guides and identify the flora and fauna you see while on your walks, hikes, and excursions. This guide includes beautifully detailed descriptions of all the bird species you will see, plus a map that includes habitat types, hiking trails, bird watching locations, and more."

Lista Comentada De Las Aves De Guatemala / Annotated Checklist of the Birds of Guatemala

Knut Eisermann and Claudia Avendano

Bilingual: Spanish/English

2007

"Combines current data with a review of historical records to give status and distribution information for 725 species recorded in Gautemala."

Belize & Northern Guatemala: Travellers' Wildlife Guides

Les D. Beletsky

2004

"Most travellers to Belize and Northern Guatemala want to experience lush tropical forests and other stunning habitats and catch glimpses of exotic wildlife: toucans and parrots, hummingbirds and hawks, monkeys and big cats, frogs and toads, crocodiles and snakes. You will find in this book all the information you need to find, identify, and learn about the region's magnificent animal life."

A Field Guide to the Birds of Mexico and Adjacent Areas: Belize, Guatemala and El Salvador

Ernest Preston Edwards

3rd edition

1998

"More than a thousand species of birds occur in Mexico and in the adjacent countries of Belize, Guatemala, and El Salvador. Of these birds, a unique mixture of temperate-zone and tropical species, less than half are found in the United States, and many cross the border only a short distance into the southwestern states. This practical field guide contains detailed annotations for easy identification of all of Mexico's regular species. The descriptions include the English, Spanish, and Latin names; a general range statement for each bird, along with its specific occurrences in the region; its typical habitat(s) and abundance; and its physical characteristics, including size and plumage. Excellent color plates with drawings of over 850 species make this the most fully illustrated guide to the region. Published by the author in 1972 and 1989, this convenient take-along guide is now totally revised, updated, and re-designed to provide handy assistance and enjoyment to professional ornithologists and amateur birders alike."

Site Guides: La Ruta Maya: A Guide to the Best Birding Locations of the Yucatan, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador

Dennis W Rogers

1997

A guide to birdswatching sites in the Yucatan, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador."

The Birds of Tikal: An Annotated Checklist for Tikal National Park and Peten, Guatemala

Randell A. Beavers

1995

Annotated checklist of just over 400 species recorded in the area.

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."

A Birders Checklist of the Birds of Guatemala

Dave Sargeant

Ecology and Management of the Atitlan Grebe, Lake Atitlan, Guatemala

Anne Labastille

Wildlife Society

1974

A 66 page monograph.

Birds of Guatemala

Hugh C. Land

1970

Cover over 650 species with over 300 of those being illustrated on colour splates.

The Birds of Tikal

Frank B. Smithe

The Natural History Press

1966

350 pages with 31 colour plates.

The Distribution Of Bird-Life In Guatemala: A Contribution To A Study Of The Origin Of Central American Bird-Life

Ludlow Griscom

Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History

1932

From the introduction: "The republic of Guatemala, largest of the Central American states, has an area of about 48,250 square miles. It is therefore approximately the same size as New York State, while Ecuador is approximately five and one-half times as large. Chapman' records 1508 species and subspecies of birds from Ecuador, while I record 736 from Guatemala in the following pages. It will thus be seen that if due regard be paid to proportion, we are dealing with a region which possesses one of the richest and most concentrated avifaunas of the world. I shall attempt to show that the wealth of this avifauna is due to a series of favorable factors: (1) an unusually ancient geological history, (2) an exceptional degree of diastrophic activity, giving rise to (3) a highly complex topography, and (4) five distinct climates, often replacing each other with remarkable abruptness."

Studies From The Dwight Collection Of Guatemala Birds III

Ludlow Griscom

American Museum of Natural History

1930

Opening lines: "This is the third and final paper containing descriptions of new forrns in the Dwight Collection, or revisions of Central American birds based primarily on material in The American Museum of Natural History. I have been, however, greatly aided throughout the progress of my work on this collection, by having the free use of the collections of the Museum of Comparative Zoology."

Studies From The Dwight Collection Of Guatemala Birds II

Ludlow Griscom

American Museum of Natural History

1930

Opening lines: "This is the second preliminary paper, containing descriptions of new forms in the Dwight Collection, or revisions of Central American birds, based almost entirely on material in The American Museum of Natural History. As usual, all measuremenits are in millimeters, and technical color-terms follow Ridgway's nomenclature. The writer would appreciate prompt criticism from his colleagues, for inclusion in the final report."

Studies From The Dwight Collection Of Guatemala Birds I

Ludlow Griscom

American Museum of Natural History

1929

Opening lines: "Just one week before his death, Dr. Jonathan Dwight asked me to study and report upon the unrivalled collection of Guatemalan birds made by A. W. Anthony during the past five years, totalling nearly 8000 specimens from every section of the country, except Peten. Originally we had planned to do this jointly, but long illness prevented him from ever making a start. His collection has now passed to The American Museum of Natural History, the authorities of which have authorized me to carry out his wishes and prepare the extensive report involved. Long interested in Central American birds, I greatly appreciate the privilege of studying so valuable a collection, but I cannot refrain from regretting the loss of Dr. Dwight's companionship in this under- taking and the value of the experienced and conservative judgment of one who was friend and mentor ever since my boyhood."

A New And Remarkable Flycatcher From Guatemala

Jonathan Dwight And Ludlow Griscom

American Museum of Natural History

1927

Opening lines: "In the last collection just made by Mr. A. W. Anthony in the mountains of western Guatemala are two specimens of a remarkable Tyrannid, which in coloration and structural details is unique, and parallels in interest Taeniotriccus andrei in Venezuela, which also possesses unusually trenchant characters for so difficult and uniform a group. We hope at a future date to be able to secure some information regarding its haunts and habits, and perhaps to figure it-the most interesting discovery made in Central America in many years. When we unwrapped the specimens, they were quickly recognized as belonging to an undescribed species, and a few minutes' casual inspection convinced us that we were dealing with a peculiarly distinct genus."

Catalogue Of A Collection Of Birds From Guatemala

Ned Dearborn

Field Columbian Museum

1907

Opening lines:

The collection of birds treated in this paper was derived from three sources. Messrs. Edmund Heller and Charles M. Barber, who spent the winter of 1904-5 in Guatemala making general collections for the Department of Zoology, supplied 49; Mr. Barber, who continued the general collecting the following year, furnished 138; and the writer, making birds his chief object, collected 1,000 during the early part of the year 1906. The total number, then, is 1,187, com- prising 305 species and subspecies, mostly skins, though several skeletons and alcoholic specimens are included. All localities represented by specimens are indicated on the accompanying map, which also shows the route followed by the writer.