Albatrosses, Petrels and Shearwaters of the World [Paperback]

I bought this book as a replacement for my older Peter Harrison's book on Seabirds. That book is good, but is somewhat outdated and too large for the field.

This book is much smaller, as it only covers the procellariform birds, and much more field friendly. As such, it makes a good pelagic field guide rather than just a desk reference.

The plates are nice and show several views and plumages of each species.
The maps are good, the text concise and readable with good references and comparisons with similar species.

For the inexperienced pelagic birder, there is a good discussion of approaches to pelagic birding and challenges that this specialized type of birding presents. For the experienced seabirder, there are tables of measurement data for certain problematic groups (Little Shearwaters, Prions, etc.) and a good discussion of plumage variation in the "Wandering" Albatrosses.

I think this book will provide a good introduction to the challenges of pelagic species identification as well as being an indispensable book for the pelagic birder. And all this comes at a reasonable price.

Basics: 2007, softcover, 240 pages, 45 color plates of 136 species, range maps

Second only to the classic book by Harrison, this is a quality book that focuses on a specific set of the pelagic species. Groups not included in this book are the gulls, jaegers, terns, penguins, cormorants, pelicans, tropicbirds, and frigatebirds. I like having this narrower focus since it allows more plates and information to be included while maintaining a smaller sized book.

The artistry and the variety of plumages in the plates are excellent. Each species is shown with anywhere from 2-8 different angles or plumages. Some birds, such as the Leach's Storm-Petrel, are shown on multiple plates to show direct comparisons with similar species. Wisely, a note is placed with these birds to alert you to where additional illustrations may be found on the other plates. The plates make good use of the space with 8-23 illustrations. Those with higher counts still do not appear too crowded since these often involve only the heads of the birds to show subtle differences. I found these extra illustrations, such as the bill variations for the Westland and White-chinned Petrels, to be very useful when using this book off the coast of Chile. My only small critique with the plates is the stark, shiny white background, which makes the paler-plumaged birds not stand out as much - especially in the bright sunlight when standing on the deck of the boat.

The text is arranged into two sections. One consists of brief identification notes found opposite the plates. These are brief but potent. The bulk of the species accounts is in the last half of the book. About one page is dedicated to each bird and is broken into these catetories: taxonomy, distribution, behavior, jizz, size, plumage, molt, and identification. At least half of the information is given towards plumage and identification. This is top notch information that covers the variety of races, subspecies, and color morphs. The notes on jizz are also well written and quite helpful to aid in the identification. These offer distinct pointers that might not be noticed otherwise.

The range maps, which must cover a large area for these widely wandering birds, do a good job at depicting the ranges. Of course, the vast area covered means these ranges are somewhat generalized. Where a species is more locally confined, the maps zoom in to be more specific.

This is a must-have book for pelagic excursions. Although the Harrison guide might offer some additional text, its age falls behind the many taxonomic changes addressed in Onley's book. Also, Harrison's book is simply bigger to handle with all the other seabird families included.

I've listed several related books below...
1) Seabirds: An Identification Guide by Harrison
2) Seabirds of the World by Harrison
3) Southern albatrosses and petrels: An identification guide by Harper
4) Seabirds of Australia by Lindsey
5) The Complete Guide to Antarctic Wildlife by Shirihai
6) Sea Birds Britain Ireland by Cramp
7) Field Guide to New Zealand Seabirds by Parkinson
8) Ocean Birds of the Nearshore Pacific by Stallcup

A very useful and well illustrated book. A must for the expert and amateur alike. Easy to use and well laid out, it is essential reading for those of us who go to sea with our eyes open to the nature around us