Published to great critical acclaim in 2009, this is a fully revised and updated version of the second edition of the most user-friendly field guide to the birds of Borneo, covering Sabah, Sarawak, Brunei, and the Indonesian states of Kalimantan.
The book gives descriptions of 669 species living or reported on the island, including all 52 endemic species. These are superbly illustrated in 141 colour plates with more than 2,000 full colour bird images, including most of the sexual variants and immature forms of polymorphic species. Each plate is accompanied by species descriptions covering taxonomy, size, call, range, distribution, habits and status. Distribution is shown by detailed thumbnail maps. There are 7 habitat plates, 12 regional maps showing Borneo's top 130 birdwatching sites, fast-find graphic indexes to the birds of Kinabalu, and a full overview of vegetation, climate and ecology.
Quentin Phillipps has been interested in the wildlife and natural history of Borneo all his life. He was born in Sandakan Sabah in 1951 and grew up on the Tuaran Rubber Estate. He was educated at Sabah College, Kota Kinabalu, Bedales School, and King's College Cambridge, where he studied Japanese and Economics. At 17 he won the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition (junior section) with the first-ever photograph of a nesting Chestnut-headed Thrush, taken at Poring. Currently he divides his time between London, where he owns a property business, and Tg Aru, Kota Kinabalu.
Karen Phillipps was also born in Sandakan and educated at Bedales School and Camberwell College of Arts and Technology, London, where she studied graphic design. Karen has llustrated numerous books on Asian wildlife. Karen spent many years living in Hong Kong and travelling in Borneo and the Far East, and is currently resident in the Algarve, Portugal.
Customer Reviews:
Even better than the 1st edition
by Mike Nelson in the United States (28/09/2011)
The second edition has been updated with some new plates including Spiderhunters, Hornbills, Blue Flycatchers and others. Also included in some of the plates are food plants which are helpful. Information has been updated at the front and new maps and birding sites have been added at the back of the book. New taxonomic information about the endemics and other families has also been updated with new information about the new species recently discovered, Spectacled Flowerpecker, which has several nice illustrations in the book.
Packed with great information, great plates and fabulous insight into the birds and birding in Borneo this is the only guide you'll need and it's small enough to carry in the field.