Book Review Phillipps’ Field Guide to the Birds of Borneo (3rd Ed.) Fully Revised
By Quentin Phillipps and Karen Phillipps – (2014)
372 pages; matt art paper, with more than 2000 colour & monochrome illustrations, 3 colour photographs, 10 tables & 20 main maps.
Soft Cover: 21cm x 14.8cm.
ISBN: 978-1-909612-15-0
John Beaufoy Publishing Ltd. Oxford, England.
Until this excellent book came along, I had relied heavily on Myers (2009-2010) ‘Field Guide to the Birds of Borneo’ and Robson’s (2005-2010) ‘Birds of South East Asia’ in combination with some of the smaller Borneo photo guides during my trips to Sabah. Recently however, I was lucky enough to be given an autographed copy of this by my good friend Tony Lamb and his wife Anthea Phillipps, and I am certainly happy and grateful they did.
I have not seen Quentin’s previous editions so cannot comment on any improvements. But from opening the first page of this current edition, which leads into a series of landscape like illustrated ‘Graphic Indexes’ of selected birds occurring in different habitats and environments – the artistic approach and presentation stands out immediately against any other illustrated bird guide I have seen so far from any region globally. Many of the illustrations of the species are larger in size compared with most books and many of them have been wonderfully depicted in natural settings and not simply an illustrated bird on a white background, although there are many depicted that way as well. Further, Karen Phillipps seems to have an edge with her simple and natural approach to portraying many of the species in a natural environ. Such as herons, egrets, bitterns, storks and others beautifully illustrated foraging and wading on shore lines, lakes and ponds and flower peckers depicted in forest settings and a family of emerald doves foraging on the ground among others.
What really stands out about this book is the way Quentin and Karen have incorporated into some of the illustrations the interaction with other faunistic and floristic elements of daily life in the forest and jungle. Such as sun bears foraging on the forest floor, with a family of Bornean ground cuckoos following close by in a symbiotic or mutually beneficial relationship. Other examples include the yellow bellied bulbul following a foraging lesser tree shrew. There are also numerous depictions of squirrels, tree shrews, primates, Sumatran rhino and other fauna expertly incorporated into the plates. And all through the book snippets of flowers, fruit and leaves of relevant forest plants also assist to ornament these wonderful plates, providing the reader with further knowledge of the birds preferred feeding and foraging plant species.
The content has been thoroughly researched and expertly presented in a simple to read manner so anyone can understand and appreciate the text. It incorporates the latest in taxonomy and molecular studies and the checklist of Borneo’s birds has been completely updated. This includes the addition of, 4 new regional records and 9 new endemic species. In the main chapter, each species has it scientific and common name, a height measurement followed by notes on habitat, foraging, distribution both local and global and whether it may be a vagrant, visitor, resident etc. most species also have a small colour coded map opposite indicating their range in Borneo and again whether they be resident or visitor etc. Further, in the opening pages there are extensive details of climate, topography, forest types, habitat destruction from logging etc. rate of deforestation, conservation issues, recent taxonomy and molecular science, migration paths and much more.
This is an excellent book and no doubt may lead the way for a new approach to illustrated birds guides from around the globe and all naturalists and or birders with an interest in Borneo’s fauna, especially its birds, must get themselves a copy of this tremendous book.
Rod Rice
Principal Reviewer
Nature & Travel Books