Trogons: A Natural History of the Trogonidae
by Joseph M. Forshaw
I love trogons, and the description of this new book left me drooling:
This is the definitive natural history of the spectacularly beautiful tropical birds known as the trogons, a family that includes the legendary Resplendent Quetzal, the sacred bird of the ancient Mayans and Aztecs. A collaboration between renowned ornithologist Joseph Forshaw and eminent bird artist Albert Gilbert, Trogons combines science and art to create an unprecedented picture of a threatened bird family. Forshaw’s text provides the most authoritative and comprehensive account of the trogons ever written, and Gilbert’s stunning paintings are the first to accurately depict all species of trogons in their natural habitats and true colors. The book’s detailed synthesis of current knowledge about the trogons is enriched by Forshaw’s personal field observations in the tropical rainforests of Southeast Asia, Africa, and the Americas, while Gilbert’s meticulous artwork is based on fieldwork in the same areas. With its large format, more than 40 full-color plates, and state-of-the-art five-color printing, this limited-edition book promises to become a classic and a collector’s item.
However, there are some over at BirdForum that were leery of the artwork. After seeing a couple of sample plates, I can see why.
But I went ahead and ordered it anyway. The trogons are one of my favorite families, and I couldn’t resist. Additionally, this is a limited edition, with only 700 copies available in the U.S. and another 700 for the rest of the world. I hope publishers don’t read this, but I’m a sucker for limited editions.
As soon as I get this, I’ll post my initial thoughts as soon as I can. But in the meantime, if you think you will eventually want a copy, I would suggest ordering it sooner rather than later. Amazon currently shows only one left in stock. I have no idea if they will be receiving any more. But given how much it costs, I wouldn’t blame anyone from holding off until they can see it first!
Posted by Grant McCreary on August 7th, 2009.
[…] mentioned in a recent post, I’ve been looking forward to finally seeing this book. So I was excited when it showed up on […]
hello sirs,
I m an amateur bird watcher from nigeria.
i live in the southeastern part of the country(rainforest belt).
one morning on my way to work at around onitsha, few miles to the bank of the river niger, i saw a strange but extremely beautiful multicoloured but predominantly grey in the upper parts.Its the size of an african grounscraper thrush or a laughing dove ,but thicker athe breast.
what enthralled me most was that it had a fine crown-like crest on its head.
i know turacos well and this was not a turaco.
the bird didnt give me the least chance as it darted in to a shrub-bush.
this was in a thickly-populated village in anambra state in nigeria.
please confirm if its a trogon.
thanks in anticipation.
There seems to be only 3 trogons in Africa, but none really match your description. I don’t think your bird was a trogon. Sorry, I have no idea what it was.