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Last month I had occasion to make my first visit to the island of Trinidad off the northeastern
coast of Venezuela giving me the opportunity to test and compare two field guides covering
Trinidad & Tobago: A Guide to the Birds of Trinidad & Tobago (Ffrench) by Richard Ffrench
(Second Edition, 1991) and Field Guide to the Birds of Trinidad & Tobago (Kenefick) by
Martyn Kenefick, Robin Restall and Floyd Hayes (2007).
Initially, I was drawn to the larger images, modern design, and slimmer format of Kenefick. And,
yes, it was easy to use and the illustrations more than adequate. In one of the many advances of
present day book production, the plates by Robin Restall which were painted for his Birds of
Northern South America: An Identification Guide (2006) were reorganized to depict only those
birds found in Trinidad & Tobago. The quality of the color reproduction appeared variable with
the red of the Red-crowned Ant-Tanager too bright and yellows too dull. The Crowned Ant
Tanager could not be found in the index under Ant-Tanager. Perhaps, a name change has been
decreed but I believe field guides would do well to cite both old and new common names in these
cases.
A number of the local guides at Asa Wright Nature Center were keen to have copies of the latest
field guide and the copies I brought with me soon changed hands. This forced me to put Ffrench
to work and I was soon comfortable with the older style field guide with the section of plates in
the center of the book and more detailed species accounts in the text. Even the tiny images of the
hummingbirds shown on the plates by John O’Neill proved more lively than the stiffer versions in
Kenefick. With more space devoted to text, details on habitat, status, range, subspecies, food,
nesting, and behavior are provided in the older guide.
As you might predict, I recommend buying both guides and taking both with you on a visit to
Trinidad & Tobago. However, if you were to carry only one book, I’d stick with Ffrench.
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Do you prefer a slim, pocket-size guide for your travels or a larger guide, with complete
text detailing natural history information? The choice is yours. We would love to know which
you would pick.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS:
Martyn Kenefick is a freelance ornithologist and tour leader for birding groups
in Trinidad.
Robin Restall was executive director, Phelps Ornithological Collection, Caracas,
Venezuela, and is now a director of the Phelps Foundation. He is author of Munias and Mannikins
and coauthor of Birds of Northern South America, both published by Yale University Press.
Floyd Hayes is professor of biology, Pacific Union College, and editor-in-chief of
the Journal of Caribbean Ornithology.
OTHER BOOKS BY THE AUTHORS:
Robin Restall:
Munias and Mannikins. Yale, 1997.
Birds of Northern South America: An Identification Guide. Two volumes. Yale University Press, 2007.
Checklist of the Birds of Northern South America. Yale University Press, 2000.
How to order
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