Norbert Lefranc

Basics: 1997, hardcover, 192 pages, 16 color plates, 31 species, range maps

Covering all the shrike of the world, this identification guide and reference book does a good job of displaying the many plumages of the subspecies. The better examples include the Great Grey (Northern) Shrike and the Southern Grey Shrike. The illustrations on the highly variable Long-tailed Shrike are also very thorough.

All but three of the species are shown with multiple plumages, ranging from 2-14 illustrations each. The artistry and colors are good. About a dozen black-and-white illustrations are included within the text. Half of these are for aesthetics while the other half are to demonstrate identification points.

The text is slightly different from most of the other family-related books in the series. Instead of focusing on the identification and descriptions, more than half of the text, ranging from 1– 9 pages per bird, focuses on the natural history. Although the identification section is good, it seems a little thin for some of the species.

Good detail was put into the range maps, which were tailored to each bird. Except for just a few, the maps were scaled down (i.e., zoomed in) to focus on the birds with a limited range. Especially appreciated were the distinctions put into the maps for the various subspecies.

Overall, this book is a good reference for your birding library.… (mere)