The Birds of Bolivia Field Guide is available for the first time ever for sale in the US and abroad. Printed in Bolivia in late 2016, the first edition of this field guide has always been a hard-to-get rarity due to the unfortunate issue of international logistics and associated high costs of exportation from Bolivia to the North American or European market. The field guide recently sold out even within Bolivia.
A revised version with updates and improvements
In order to offer Birds of Bolivia to a wider audience, Asociación Armonía has partnered with Future Generations University Press of Franklin, West Virginia, and produced a Revised First Edition. Updated information in many cases is based on new information available since the first printing. Printed in the United States, this new edition is being distributed directly by Future Generations University through their website, with shipping options available to many other countries.
Covering an exceedingly diverse avifauna of almost 1440 species, the paperback field guide (24 cm x 16.5 cm by 3 cm, weight ca. 1150a g) contains 220 color plates, with 5-7 species illustrated per plate. Notably different subspecies of a given species are depicted as are the differences between males and females or between different color morphs. Five plates are dedicated exclusively to raptors in flight.
On facing pages, the guide features brief texts on each species for field identification (including size, relative abundance, habitat, plumage and vocalization features crucial for identification, distribution by ecoregion, habitat, and elevation) as well as detailed Bolivian range maps with locality records.
Short, concise introductory chapters include information on how to use the book and on bird conservation in Bolivia.
The Spanish version of the field guide, Aves de Bolivia, is also in the revision process and will be printed and launched for the Bolivian market in the first trimester of 2020. While it was never expected that this version would sell out so quickly, observed results from the publication of Aves de Bolivia have exceeded expectations. Since the moment of publication, Bolivians’ interest in birdwatching has taken off and is not expected to slow any time soon.
A book that is more than just a book. Through the purchase of this book you support conservation and educational opportunities benefitting Bolivia’s rich biodiversity.
This field guide’s main economic goals are to support local people and bird conservation in Bolivia. Revenues from sales of the field guide are managed by Asociación Armonía as a special separate fund, to be invested into ecotourism capacity building (training of local naturalists and guides for national and foreign bird watchers) in rural areas with ecotourism ventures, as well as into the production of regional field guides in Spanish. Revenues from sales of regional guides will similarly be invested into additional ecotourism capacity building and possibly future editions of the national field guide and handbook. Thus, as a kind of revolving fund these resources will guarantee continued ecotourism capacity building activities for several years, as well as contributions to raising environmental awareness in the Bolivian population locally, regionally, and nationally.
To purchase a copy of the Birds of Bolivia Field Guide, click here.