On this page

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

South American countries

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

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.

Birds: South America: Passerines: From Sapayoa to Finches

Ber van Perlo

Collins

2015

"This major new field guide to the birds of South America covers all the passerines (perching birds), with all plumages for each species illustrated, including males, females and juveniles. The text gives information on key identification features, habitat, and songs and calls. Beautiful artwork featured across 195 colour plates appears opposite the 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."

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 Songbirds of South America: The Passerines

Robert S. Ridgely & Guy Tudor

2009

"With the publication of the landmark volumes The Birds of South America: The Oscine Passerines and The Birds of South America: The Suboscine Passerines, Robert S. Ridgely and Guy Tudor established themselves as the leading authorities on the songbirds of South America. Reviewers hailed the volumes as the essential reference works for professional ornithologists and avocational birders alike, and they remain the only volumes that provide full scientific coverage of the continent's passerines. Recognizing the need for a more compact guide that birders can take into the field, Ridgely and Tudor have now extracted and updated the essential identification information from The Birds of South America to create the Field Guide to the Songbirds of South America. This definitive guide is filled with indispensable features: 121 color plates that present Guy Tudor's magnificently detailed paintings of more than 1,500 species of songbirds, including more than 400 that were not illustrated in BOSA; 160 additional color illustrations of subspecies and females; extensively updated color range maps for all of the species in the field guide, prepared by Robert S. Ridgely with technical assistance from Maria Allen and Terry Clarke, appear opposite the plates for each bird family; Robert S. Ridgely's authoritative accounts of nearly 2,000 species that cover each bird's abundance, habitat, and range; elevational preference; taxonomic or nomenclatural changes; plumage description; general behavior and voice; and range beyond South America, if applicable."

South American Passerines

Robert S. Ridgely & Guy Tudor

Christopher Helm

2009

"This is a single-volume guide to South American passerines, based on a two-volume work first published in 1989 and 1994. For the new edition, the text has been condensed, most of the missing species that were not illustrated before have now been painted, and brand new maps have been compiled for every species. This is a major identification guide to the songbirds of South America. No other single volume guide exists for passerines (though there is a single-volume guide for non-passerines from Collins). There are still large areas of South America without a comprehensive field guide, so this book will become essential for anyone birding in these areas (e.g. Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay and Uruguay)."

Birds: South America: Non-Passerines

Jorge R. Roderiguez Mata, Francisco Erize and Maurice Rumboll

Collins

2006

"The only field guide to illustrate and describe every non-passerine species of bird in South America. This superbly illustrated field guide to the birds of South America covers all the non-passerines (non-perching birds from Divers to Woodpeckers). All plumages for each species are illustrated, including males, females and juveniles. Featuring 1,273 species, the text gives information on key identification features, habitat, and songs and calls. The 156 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 easy to use guide is a must for all birdwatchers visiting the region."

Birds Of South America: Non-Passerines

Jorge R. Roderiguez Mata, Francisco Erize and Maurice Rumboll

Princeton University Press

2006

"Here in an easy-to-use format is the first guide to the nearly 1,300 species of non-passerine South American birds. It complements Robert Ridgly and Guy Tudor's large reference volumes on the passerines (1,800 species), which will soon be available in a single-volume field guide format. One of things that makes this book special is its use of masterful and alluring illustrations; most neotropical birders will want the book for the illustrations alone. The text concentrates on the key identification features of each species and follows the layout of other books in this series. The book may be used in conjunction with regional and country field guides."

Birds of Northern South America, Volume 1: Identification, Distribution and Taxonomy

Robin Restall, Clemencia Rodner and Miguel Lentino

Christopher Helm

2006

"This is the first comprehensive identification guide dealing exclusively with the birds of this region. It covers all the species, including vagrants, found in Ecuador, Columbia, Venezuela, Aruba, Curacao, Bonaire, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana. Over 2,250 species are described in depth in the text, describing geographical variation, identification, status, habitat, voice and taxonomy. This authoritative book will not only be an indispensable guide to the visiting birder, but also a vital tool for those engaged in work to conserve and study the avifauna of this region, which is of such importance to both the indigenous species and those which pass through on migration."

Volume1 comprises in-depth text about the birds of the region."

Birds of Northern South America, Volume 2

Robin Restall, Clemencia Rodner and Miguel Lentino

Christopher Helm

2006

"This is the first comprehensive field guide dealing exclusively with the birds of this region. It covers all the species, including vagrants, found in Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Aruba, Curacao, Bonaire, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana. Over 2,250 species are accurately illustrated with a total of 6,000 images. Concise caption text appears on the plates and distribution maps appear opposite the plates. This authoritative book will not only be an indispensable guide to the visiting birder, but also a vital tool for those engaged in work to conserve and study the avifauna of this region, which is of such importance to both the indigenous species and those which pass through on migration."

Volume2 comprises the plates and minimal concise text required for field guide use."

Use of Rice Fields by Migratory Shorebirds in Southern South America / Uso de Arroceras por Chorlos y Playeros Migratorios en el Sur de America del Sur

Daniel W. Blanco, Bernabe Lopez-Lanus and Rafael Antunes Dias

2006

"This publication includes the results of an international project aimed to assess the value of rice fields as non-breeding habitat for migratory shorebirds in southern South America. Numerous studies document the role of rice fields as a foraging habitat for waterbirds, and in particular for migratory shorebirds in the Northern Hemisphere. Rice fields function as artificial wetlands, providing feeding habitat for numerous species, at least during part of the lifecycle of the crop, but at the same time they may result as a serious threat due to the use of agrochemicals associated with rice production. The aim of the present project was to assess the use of rice fields by migratory shorebirds in southern South America, contributing valuable unpublished information for their conservation."

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."

Areas Importantes Para La Conservacion de Las Aves En Los Andes Tropicales

Editors: K Boyla and A Estrada

BirdLife International / BirdLife Ecuador

2004

"More than 600 researchers contributed to the book, which took eight years to compile. 455 sites are identified, covering 17 percent of the land area of Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela. A comprehensive introduction covers habitats, protection, threats and other issues. Each site is described in detail, with thumbnail location maps, graphics and data tables . While it serves as an excellent site guide for birders, this is primarily a blueprint for governments and conservationists involved in planning protected area networks. More than half the sites have no protection."

This book is in Spanish with English chapter summaries.

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."

Checklist of the Birds of Northern South America

Clemencia Rodner, Robin Restall and Miguel Lentino

2000

This checklist, which covers all the species of birds found in Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana and Trinidad & Tobago, recognizes 2,236 species. For each species, it gives information on subspecies in the region, distribution, altitudinal range, taxonomic notes and references.

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."

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."

The Birds of South America, Volume 2, The Suboscine Passerines

Robert S. Ridgely & Guy Tudor

1994

"With the publication of Volume 2: The Suboscine Passerines, The Birds of South America now covers all the true songbirds of this exotic region. Following the same format as the first volume, on the oscine passerines, Volume 2 encompasses more than one-thousand species, from ovenbirds and woodcreepers to cotingas. Fifty-two new colour plates by Guy Tudor illustrate most of the species, while the text provides extensive information on habitats, ranges, habits, and voices. The distribution maps, based on published sources and recent observations, have been especially prepared for this volume. Most importantly, the authors combine review and analysis with extensive field observations to give an unparalleled portrait of South American birds and a landmark publication in neotropical ornithology."

The Birds of South America, Volume 2, The Suboscine Passerines

Robert S. Ridgely & Guy Tudor

1994

"The Birds of South America, projected to be a four-volume work, thus fills a critical void. Starting from a museum approach, the authors have examined specimens of each subspecies, comparing them visually and trying to discern the patterns in their plumage variation, both intra- and inter-specifically. They take a new look at bird systematics, reassessing relationships in light of new information. Perhaps most important, they combine this review and analysis with extensive field observations to give an accurate, incisive portrait of the birds in nature. At a time when rapid development is devastating millions of acres of tropical habitat in South America, this record of an endangered resource becomes crucial. If the birds and other plants and animals of South America are to be saved, they must first be known and appreciated."The Birds of South America" is a major step in that direction. Volume II includes: the Ovenbirds and Woodcreepers, Antbirds, Gnatcatchers, and Tapaculos; Tyrant Flycatchers; and Manakins and Cotingas.

Checklist of the Birds of South America

Allen Altman and Byron Swift

1993

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 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."

Men and Birds in South America 1492 to 1900

R. Stowell Rounds

1990

"

The Birds of South America, Volume 1, The Oscine Passerines

Robert S. Ridgely & Guy Tudor

1989

"The Birds of South America", projected to be a four-volume work, thus fills a critical void. Starting from a museum approach, the authors have examined specimens of each subspecies, comparing them visually and trying to discern the patterns in their plumage variation, both intra- and inter-specifically.They take a new look at bird systematics, reassessing relationships in light of new information. Perhaps most important, they combine this review and analysis with extensive field observations to give an accurate, incisive portrait of the birds in nature. At a time when rapid development is devastating millions of acres of tropical habitat in South America, this record of an endangered resource becomes crucial. If the birds and other plants and animals of South America are to be saved, they must first be known and appreciated."The Birds of South America" is a major step in that direction. Volume I includes the Jays and Swallows; Wrens, Thrushes, and Allies; Vireos and Wood-warblers; Tanagers, Icterids, and Finches.

The Birds of South America, Volume 1, The Oscine Passerines

Robert S. Ridgely & Guy Tudor

1989

"The Birds of South America, projected to be a four-volume work, thus fills a critical void. Starting from a museum approach, the authors have examined specimens of each subspecies, comparing them visually and trying to discern the patterns in their plumage variation, both intra- and inter-specifically.They take a new look at bird systematics, reassessing relationships in light of new information. Perhaps most important, they combine this review and analysis with extensive field observations to give an accurate, incisive portrait of the birds in nature. At a time when rapid development is devastating millions of acres of tropical habitat in South America, this record of an endangered resource becomes crucial. If the birds and other plants and animals of South America are to be saved, they must first be known and appreciated."The Birds of South America" is a major step in that direction. Volume I includes the Jays and Swallows; Wrens, Thrushes, and Allies; Vireos and Wood-warblers; Tanagers, Icterids, and Finches.

Atlas Of Nearctic Shorebirds On The Coast Of South America, Volumes 1 & 2

R.I.G. Morrison, R.K. Moss

1989

Published in two volumes (Vol. 1 128 pages / Vol. 2 196 pages)."

South American Land Birds: A Photographic Aid To Identification

John S. Dunning

1989

South American Land Birds: A Photographic Aid To Identification

John S. Dunning

1987

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."

A Zoogeographic Analysis Of The South American Chaco Avifauna

Lester L. SHort

Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History

1975

From the abstract: "The South American chaco is centrally situated on the border of the tropics and is xeric-adapted woodland with some open areas, wet places, and savanna. Driest in the center and wettest in the eastern pantanal savanna, the chaco experiences occasional frost throughout. About 409 avian species, including 22 that barely reach its borders, are resident or breed in the chaco. These number 218 nonpasserine birds, 100 suboscine passerines, including 52 tyrant flycatchers, 20 oscine passerines of Old World groups, and 71 New World nine-primaried oscines. Each species is treated taxonomically (based on a systematic reappraisal of each taxon), ecologically, and distributionally."

Birds of South America

160 Colour Plates From The Lithographs Of John Gould

A. Rutgers

1972

A Guide to the Birds of South America

Rodolphe Meyer De Schauensee

1971

A Guide to the Birds of South America

Rodolphe Meyer De Schauensee

1966

In The Wilds Of South America

Leo E. Miller

Black and white photographs

Charles Scribner's Sons

1918

From the preface:

"The explorations here recounted were undertaken by me as a member or leader of the following expeditions, all of which were undertaken under the auspices of the American Museum of Natural History, New York City: Colombia - March, 1911, to September, 1912; Colombia - November, 1914, to April, 1915; Venezuela - November, 1912, to June, 1913; British Guiana - July to October, 1913; Roosevelt-Rondon South American Expedition, mostly in Brazil but covering a part of Paraguay, with stops in Uruguay and Argentina - October, 1913, to June, 1914; Bolivia - May, 1915, to January, 1916, touching at Panama, Ecuador, and Peru en route; Argentina - January to September, 1916, The purpose of these expeditions was to collect birds and mammals; also to study the fauna in general and to make all possible observations regarding the flora, topography, climate, and human inhabitants of the regions visited. The personnel of each expedition is given in the proper place in the text. I wish to acknowledge my indebtedness to Doctor Frank M. Chapman and to Colonel Theodore Roosevelt for suggesting and encouraging the production of this book, also to Mrs. Alice K. Fraser for the great amount of time and work devoted to typewriting the manuscript."

Descriptions Of Apparently New South American Birds, With Notes On Some Little Known Species

Charles B. Cory

Field Columbian Museum

1916

Opening lines:

Since the publication of my last paper on South American birds, further study of the collections secured by the members of the Museum's expeditions in South America has brought to light a number of new forms which it seems advisable to describe at the present time, as the detailed report on the results of the expeditions will not be ready for publication for some months.

Notes On South American Birds, With Descriptions Of New Subspecies

Charles B. Cory

Field Columbian Museum

1915

Opening lines:

Since the publication of my previous paper on South American birds received from Museum expeditions, further study of the collections has brought to light several apparently new forms which are here described. In this connection I wish to express my thanks to the authorities of various museums and individuals for the loan of specimens for com- parison, and especially to Prof. Robert Ridgway and Dr. C. W. Rich- mond of the United States National Museum, Washington, D. C., to Dr. F. M. Chapman of the American Museum of Natural History, New York, to Dr. Witmer Stone of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, and to Mr. J. Rodway of the Royal Agricultural and Com- mercial Society of British Guiana.

Descriptions Of New Birds From South America And Adjacent Islands

Charles B. Cory

Field Columbian Museum

1915

Opening lines:

The following apparently new birds were contained in collections secured by members of the various Field Museum of Natural History South American Expeditions. Less than half of the material so far received has been studied, and, as the final detailed report of the collections will not be ready for publication for several months, it is desirable to give advance descriptions of the novelties which from time to time may be discovered.

Descriptions Of Twenty-Eight New Species And Subspecies Of Neotropical Birds

Charles B. Cory

Field Columbian Museum

1913

Opening lines:

Nothocercus julius venezuelensis subsp. nov. Type from Paramo de Tama (near source of the Tachira River), western Venezuela (close to the Colombian line), altitude about 7500 feet. Adult male, No. 43208, Field Museum of Natural History. Collected by W. H. Osgood, February 26, 1911. Similar to Nothocercus Julius, but general color brighter, forehead and sides of the head more rufous and nape darker; primaries blackish; lower part of throat or foreneck grayish and not vermiculated; breast clear tawny ochraceous, without vermiculation, the color decidedly more ochraceous than in Julius; feathers of the flanks and thighs tipped with yellowish brown and narrowly barred with black, but the bars are broken and much narrower than in Julius.

The Birds Of South America

Volume 2: Illustrations of Game Birds and Water Fowl Of South America

Lord Brabourne and Charles Chubb

R.H. Porter / John Wheldon / Taylor & Fracis

Vol. 1: 1912

Vol. 2: 1917

These two volumes are all that was published of a planned multi-volume work. The project was abandoned after the death of Lord Brabourne in 1915. Volume 1 is a complete list of birds of the continent. Volume 2 comprises the colour plates that had been prepared for subsequent volumes.

From the introduction to volume 1:

"The only previous list dealing with the birds of South America as a whole is that published by Messrs. Sclater and Salvin in 1873 - 'Nomenclator, Avium Neotropicalum' - and although Central America, Mexico to Panama, and the Galapagos Islands were included in that list, the number of species was only 3565, while the present list recognises 4561 forms in South America alone. The names used in this List appear as binomials, but it must be clearly understood, however, that this system has been used only for convenience and simplicity. It does not mean that we accept all the forms included here as being o£ specific value. Trinomials can only be determined by means of monographic revision, and these will be used throughout the body of the forthcoming work. The names here given are thus of unequal value, and only represent the forms which have been accepted as valid species and subspecies by previous authors. The method used in the preparation of this List has been to verify the original description or figure of each species, cite the locality, and give an outline of the distribution in South America. We have not thought it desirable to give the extra-limital range, but we intend to do so in the forthcoming volumes, where all the details will be fully worked out."

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."