Birds New to Science ─ Fifty Years of Avian Discoveries

Amazing as it might sound, ornithologists are still discovering, on average, five or six bird species that are completely new to science each year. What's more, these aren't all just obscure brown birds on tiny islands-- witness the bizarre Bare-faced Bulbul from Laos (2009), spectacular Araripe Manakin from Brazil (1998), or gaudy Bugun Liocichla from north-east India (2006).

This book documents all of these remarkable discoveries made since 1960, from Barau's Petrel onwards, covering around 300 species. It fills an important gap in the ornithological literature.

Written in an engaging style, Birds New to Science provides a rich reference to an era of adventure in ornithology. Each species account discusses the story of the discovery, with photographs of the birds where available, along with a discussion of what is known about the species' biology, habitat, and distribution, with a strong conservation message--most of the species in the book are either vulnerable or endangered.

David Brewer was born in Worcestershire, England. He read Natural Sciences at the University of Cambridge and received his PhD from the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow. After a fellowship at the University of Arizona he emigrated to Canada. David has watched birds on all seven continents, but his main area interests are the study and conservation of birds of South and Central America. His publications include Wrens, Dippers and Thrashers (Helm, 2001), Where to Watch Birds in Central America and the Caribbean (with Nigel Wheatley) (Helm, 2002), the four-volume Canadian Atlas of Bird Banding (Canadian Wildlife Service, 2001-2010), and contributions to three volumes of the Handbook of the Birds of the World (Lynx, 2005–2010). He has been a Research Associate in Ornithology at the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, for more than 25 years.