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The Birds of Corsica
J.C Thibault & Bonnacorsi G
mapAfter the Birds of Cyprus (BOU checklist series No 6.),and The Birds of Sicily (BOU checlist No.11),this volume is the third of a series dealing with birds of Mediterranean islands.Jean-Claude Thibault,a distinguished ornithologist and scientific assistant at the Parc Naturel regional de Corse for over 20 years,and Gilles Bonaccorsi,a fine birdwatcher and a Corsican,are well placed to give an accurate account of the birdlife of the 'island of Beauty'.The book is well designed and illustrated with 35 beautiful colour plates giving an idea of the more typical and scenic habitats of Corsica.Included among the many ornithologists attracted to the island are John Whitehead,discoverer of the Corsican Nuthatch Sitta Whiteheadi,and FCR Jourdain.A 13 page introduction sets the scene,giving details on the general history,geology,climate,vegetation of the island,history of the bird fauna and on some conservation problems.These are exemplified in more detail in tables at the end of the book.Then follows the systematic list of 323 species of birds recorded so far on the island,even if only once.The systematic status of the breeding species,many of which are represented by subspecies,is carefully and critically described,giving a refreshing insight into patterns of differentiation on the larger islands of the Mediterranean.Results of the most recent studies from molecular phylogenies are carefully reported,for example thost of E.Pasquet on the phylogeny of the three Mediterranean nuthatches.His studies demonstrate that the Corsican Nuthatch does not belong to a monophyletic group which includes the Algerian S.ledanti and Kruper's S.Krueperi nuthatches,as believed for so long,but is more closely related to the S.canadenis group than to any other Mediterranean species.Each species is assigned to one (or more) of the eight classes that depict its status,either as a breeder,migrant or wintering bird.Species accounts include general data on status,distribution,abundance and phenology within the island.Then,for breeding species,a seperate section gives,whenever available,many useful details on habitats,density,time of reproduction,clutch size and population trends.The book ends with five appendices (unconfirmed or doubtful records,rare,population trends,censuses of species etc.)and a reference list of 456 titles.What makes the text particularly useful,not only for ornithologists visiting the island,but also as a research tool for anyone interested in faunistics and biogeography,is the accuracy of the data,the many references to the literature and the deliberate concern of the authors to put Corsican birdlife in a broader context including the larger islands of the (mostly) western part of the Mediterranean basin.(BOU)
Hardback;172 pp.16 pages of colour photographs,maps etc.Price £22.00
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