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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 23(4)

Field guides, bird names, and conservation

Harry F. Recher
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

School of Natural Sciences, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, WA 6027, Australia and Veterinary and Life Sciences, Murdoch University, Murdoch, WA 6150, Australia. Postal address: PO Box 154, Brooklyn, NSW 2083, Australia. Email: hfrecher@gmail.com

Pacific Conservation Biology 23(4) 315-323 https://doi.org/10.1071/PC17019
Submitted: 30 June 2017  Accepted: 24 September 2017   Published: 26 October 2017

Abstract

This is an essay that began as a book review. The book reviewed is: ‘The Australian Bird Guide’ by Peter Menkhorst, Danny Rogers, Rohan Clarke, Jeff Davies, Peter Marsack and Kim Franklin, and published in 2017 by CSIRO Publishing, Clayton, Victoria, Australia (paperback, AU$49.95, ISBN 9780643097544). I enjoy reviewing books and particularly enjoyed reading and reviewing this one. I enjoyed it because the illustrations of birds are superb and because the decision of the authors to follow a global list of bird names provided me with an opportunity to once again raise questions about the names given to Australian birds. Thus, the review morphed into an essay: in part an account of my experiences over the past 60 years with field guides, names, and nomenclature, in part a book review, and in part a bit about the conservation of Australia’s birds.


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