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

South American bird books

For bird books about individual South American countries see the pages:

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

Gran Pantanal Paraguay

Emily Y. Horton

2010

Bilingual: Spanish / English

"The Gran Pantanal of Alto Paraguay forms part of the planet's largest wetland system. It is found along the central valley of the La Plata River Basin that encompasses more than 400,000 square kilometers and stretches over 3,000 kilometers from north to south, from Mato Grosso in Brazil, to the Rio de la Plata estuary between Argentina and Uruguay. This wetland system is responsible for regulating the flood pulses of the Paraguay and Paran Rivers, protecting millions of people from extreme flood and drought; it is a source of high quality water; thanks to its rich biodiversity, it produces abundant and varied food for city inhabitants and communities located along its banks. The great Pantanal of Alto Paraguay, with its spectacular scenic beauty, that combines vast wetlands and splendid mountainous islands covered with forests, harbours one of the greatest treasures of biodiversity on Earth. This book provides us a panorama of the great beauty belonging to a relatively unknown part of Paraguay."

Paraguay

Margaret Hebblethwaite

Bradt

2010

"Paraguay is still largely undiscovered by travellers, but those who make their way here are delighted by the country's distinctive culture and strong indigenous features. A bilingual nation, with Guaraní spoken alongside Spanish, its folk-dance tradition is hugely popular among young people; its harp playing is legendary; and Paraguayans are proud of their different handicrafts, particularly their sewing. The country is also home to the historic Jesuit missions, or reductions (as depicted in the film The Mission). Bradt's Paraguay - the only English-language guidebook to this emerging tourism destination - covers the region with unrivalled detail and knowledge. It delves deep into a country that has so far eluded the grasp of mass tourism and where rich indigenous culture and folk traditions still hold strong."

Pantanal Wildlife: A Visitor's Guide to Brazil's Great Wetland

James Lowan

Bradt

2010

"The Pantanal of Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay is South America's Serengeti: its wetlands are the largest on earth (they're half the size of France) and, in the dry season, crocodiles and storks jostle to gobble the last of the dying fish. Here, the continent's largest cat, the jaguar, lives alongside giant otters, anacondas and the world's largest parrot. A comprehensive introduction to the best place to watch wildlife in South America, and beautifully illustrated throughout, Bradt's Pantanal Wildlife is the only portable book to cover all the main wildlife groups while focussing exclusively on the Pantanal."

Aves do Pantanal / Birds of the Pantanal

Edson Endrigo

2009

Bilingual: Portuguese / English

Photographs of 100 species found in the Pantanal wetlands.

Areas Importantes para la Conservación de las Aves del Paraguay

Editor: R.P. Clay, J.L. Cartes, H. Del Castillo and A. Lesterhuis

2008

Language: Spanish with one bilingual chapter in Spanish and English

"Describes the 57 Important Bird Areas (IBAs) of Paraguay. IBAs are identified according to BirdLife criteria based on threatened or endemic species, species concentration, and/or representative species. All 57 IBAs are described, as well as conservation actions being carried out in each site."

Salvemos San Rafael / Saving San Rafael

Emily Y. Horton

2008

Bilingual: Spanish / English

"In this photo documentary, Emily Horton records San Rafael's zoological, botanical and human exuberance – its virgin forests, hills, grasslands, rivers and waterfalls, and describes its pumas and wolves, tapirs and monkeys, toucans and eagles, towering trees, vines which stretch their limbs from the forest floor to cover the canopy with flowers, seven meter primeval Jurassic ferns and multicoloured fungi, orchids and bromeliads. Horton documents the symbiotic relationship between the San Rafael wilderness and 27 communities of indigenous Guarani – and how these hunter-gatherer Indians live in San Rafael the way they have for millennia. Horton brings to life how their livelihood and hence their cultural identity are at once endangered and threatening to the habitat and wildlife on which they depend. Saving San Rafael is a vital read for anyone caring about preserving the biodiversity and environment of one of the most unique habitats on earth, the Interior Atlantic Forest."

Lista Comentada de las Aves de Paraguay / Annotated Checklist of the Birds of Paraguay

Hugo del Castillo and Robert P Clay

2004

Bilingual: Spanish / English

"This well-researched checklist is based on the records in the Guyra Paraguay Biodiversity Database, the single most comprehensive resource on Paraguayan bird distribution. Records are critically-assessed and details on abundance and distribution are given for each species. It includes lists of hypothetical species (those which have been reported but for which no proof exists) and non-evaluated species (species that occur on older lists but fr which no details of the record exist). Introductory chapters give a background to bird distribution in Paraguay."

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."

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."

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."

Status, Distribution and Biogeography of the Birds of Paraguay

Floyd E. Hayes

1995

"The first comprehensive review on the birds in Paraguay in more than 50 years, this book summarizes the status, relative abundance and distribution of 645 species of birds in seven geographical regions and analyzes the historic factors affecting their distribution."

Ornithological Gazetteer Of Paraguay

Raymond A. Paynter

1989

A gazetteer and bibliography.

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."