World Bird Field Guides

Brian J. Coates’s two-volume set Birds of Papua New Guinea: Including the Bismarck Archipelago and Bougainville is the only work providing reasonably comprehensive coverage of the entire country. The volumes are large, heavy reference books — not portable field guides. Volume 1 (ISBN 0-9590257-0-7) covers non-passerines and Volume 2 (ISBN 0-9590257-1-5) covers passerines. Sometimes the set is sold under ISBN 0-9590257-2-3 and sometimes under the ISBN of the first volume. If you are ordering online, be sure you understand exactly what you are getting.

Both volumes are out of print; they are rare and expensive. Some used copies are listed at over $500. If you own or can afford the set, you will benefit from hundreds of photographs, drawings, descriptions, and range maps. As for me, I’ve not been fortunate enough even to see the books myself.

If you don’t have access to Coates’s volumes, you will have to mix and match field guides depending on which part(s) of the country you are birding. Even if you do have Coates, you need to consider buying some of the books discussed below.

“Mainland” and Milne Bay Province

Eastern half of New Guinea and associated nearshore islands (Yule, Karkar, etc.); the Trobriand (Kiriwina) Islands, Woodlark Island (Muyuw), the D’Entrecasteaux Islands, and the Louisiade Archipelago.

Birds of New Guinea (ISBN 978-0-691-02394-6) by Bruce M. Beehler, Thane K. Pratt, and Dale A. Zimmerman is a good but old-fashioned guide (published 1986). Most plates are color; a few are black and white. They are grouped together in the center of the book, separated from the species accounts, which are on a cheaper grade of paper. Some species (some of the seabirds, etc.) are illustrated only with line drawings in the species account, or not illustrated at all. Species accounts are generally very good, containing alternate English and scientific names, length measurements in inches and centimeters, descriptions, comparisons with similar species, habits (behavior and ecology), descriptions of voice, and detailed range descriptions, including months when appropriate. There are no range maps, but the range descriptions are usually good enough to serve the same purpose.

The guide does show its age. Names and taxonomy are outdated. Some species have expanded their range since the guide was written, and House Sparrows, which are not even mentioned in the book, have established themselves in at least scattered locations along the Central Province coast and are common in parts of the National Capital District. Some of these problems are due to the book’s age; others are because our knowledge about this part of the world and its birds still has gaping holes.

Good luck obtaining a copy of the guide. In late December 2007, the only copy I could find online was listed at half.com — for an outrageous price of $363.85!

A second edition is supposedly in production; current (Dec. 2007) estimates put the release date in spring 2008 or spring 2009. I asked Dr. Beehler about the book in March 2007, and he couldn’t or wouldn’t give me an answer. Let’s hope it is released soon. It’s badly needed.

Brian J. Coates and William S. Peckover’s Birds of New Guinea and the Bismarck Archipelago: A Photographic Guide (ISBN 978-0-9590257-4-3) covers just over half of PNG’s 800 or so species. So, it isn’t even close to comprehensive. As the title indicates, it uses photographs, which comes with the usual pros and cons.

I don’t own the guide, but I used a borrowed copy briefly while in PNG. For mainland PNG and the islands of Milne Bay Province, I would recommend using this guide only under the following conditions:
1. Use it if you cannot obtain a copy of Birds of New Guinea.
2. Use it if you already own Birds of New Guinea and want a nice second reference.

The most compelling reason to buy the guide would be for use in the Bismarck Archipelago (see below).

Bismarck Archipelago

New Britain and associated islands; New Ireland and associated islands; Admiralty Islands: Manus and its satellites, Kaniet Islands, Ninigo Islands, Hermit Islands, Aua Island, Wuvulu Island.

This region is little known, little visited, and not well covered by field guides. A combination of Birds of New Guinea (see above) and Birds of the Solomons, Vanuatu & New Caledonia (see below) will help you identify some of the birds in this region, but there are many endemics not covered in either guide. Brian Coates’s two-volume set (discussed above) would be a very helpful reference.

The Birds of Northern Melanesia: Speciation, Ecology, and Biogeography (ISBN 978-0-19-514170-2) by Jared Diamond and Ernst Mayr is not a field guide, but it contains color plates illustrating “88 species and alllospecies” (not comprehensive), some for the first time ever. I should think this book would be helpful in the Bismarcks. I kind of wanted to see a copy before I actually bought one, but I may break down and buy it anyway, as it doesn’t seem available in any libraries or bookstores I can access. A thorough review was published in The Auk.

Autonomous Region of Bougainville (North Solomons)

Buka and Bougainville and associated small islands; far-flung atolls: Nukumanu (Tasman), Takuu (Mortlock), the Carterets, the Green Islands (Nissan and Pinipel), and Nuguria.

Geologically and ecologically, most of these islands are part of the Solomon Islands, and so they are covered by Chris Doughty, Nicholas Day, and Andrew Plant’s field guide, Birds of the Solomons, Vanuatu & New Caledonia (ISBN 978-0-7136-4690-0).

It’s a decent guide, though some of the maps are too small to be helpful, and some of the illustrations aren’t great. Still, get one if you can. It was very helpful to me when I visited Nissan, Buka, and other islands in 2006. Published in 1999, it’s already getting difficult to find for a reasonable price. You might get a better deal through NHBS than from the sellers who list on Amazon.com and Half.com, but these things can change quickly.

Birds and Bird Lore of Bougainville and the North Solomons (ISBN 978-0-9590257-5-0) by Don Hadden is an alternative or a companion to Birds of the Solomons, Vanuatu & New Caledonia. Its scope is restricted to PNG’s Autonomous Region of Bougainville as defined above, so it has more locally relevant descriptions and content than the book that covers a larger area. It even contains lists of bird names in some local languages. It does not illustrate all species, but it does illustrate all endemics and near-endemics. It uses photographs, primarily, which (as usual) is both good and bad. As with most of the others, this book is expensive and difficult to find. It is available through NHBS, and I saw it in at least one bookstore in PNG.

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