Birds of Spain

The very first edition of this book appeared way back in 2000 as Aves de España and became an immense success with people in Spain, and I remember wishing there was an English version. That finally arrived in 2017 and dealt with 567 species. Now we have the second English edition which covers 599 species (which includes 191 vagrants and scarce migrants which are not all illustrated and are given a short text with status in an appendix).

We are all used to the high quality of the illustrations in the Collins Bird Guide, and I think Juan Manuel Varela’s illustrations are just as good, facing right and with pointers to the main ID features. In total there are over 1000 colour illustrations, and 129 of these are new for this edition. New species include Moltoni’s Warbler (split from Western Subalpine Warbler and a summer visitor to Mallorca and Ibiza – and vagrant elsewhere), Gran Canaria Blue Chaffinch (split from the wider form that included birds on Tenerife), Red-billed Tropicbird (which now has a small breeding colony on Fuerteventura), Laughing Dove (now resident on most of the Canary Islands) and European Pygmy-owl (several pairs were recently discovered nesting in Catalonia).

I particularly like the 300-plus colour distribution maps which show a map measuring 25 mm × 25 mm of Spain, with Portugal included and nearby parts of France and Morocco. For those species also found regularly in the Canary Islands there is a small map for that too.

A useful feature is a QR code for each species which links to the SEO/BirdLife Guide to the Birds of Spain. This is in Spanish, so your phone will need to automatically translate. This told me that Jack Snipe was Little Snipe (!), but the main reason I used the link was to access sound recordings for immediate in-the-field comparisons. There is also a directory of 57 areas to visit (including 7 in the Canary Islands).

This book is handy for use in the field (12 cm × 21 cm) and weighs 550 gm. Much as I love my Collins Guide, this is the book that will accompany me to Spain and Portugal.

My spontaneous reaction to this book was an overarching impression of a book that seems clean and fresh and friendly to people whose birding is at a beginner or intermediate level. However, I should immediately add that the quality of the text and the structure of information is good enough to satisfy experienced birders. So why does this book seem like a ‘friendly’ book for newcomers.

The answer seems to lie in the illustrations being much bigger, perhaps twice the size of other field guides. Plus, there is a pleasing painterly touch to the illustrations. This does not detract from the accuracy. The illustrations are life-like and have the accuracy of detail expected from an advanced field guide. But nevertheless, they are pleasing and an interesting departure from the photo-realism style that has become more normal. Also, it may actually help newcomers to birding to have a book where the illustrations are easier on the eye and not too busy with several illustrations of different age class or sub-species plumages.

The identification aspect of the text is very good and reflects much of the recent advances in bird identification. In fact, as an ID guide, the book will work well anywhere in Europe for the regularly occurring species. The book is also compact and lighter than European gold standard, the Collins Bird Guide. For European birders flying into Spain for a short break and needing to carry everything in a day pack on a budget airline, this book is a good alternative. Especially so if you are a regular to Spain and are interested in the distribution text which is specific to Spain. However, the clear distribution maps cover the whole of the Iberian Peninsula, quite often extending to the North African coast as well. I would have been quite happy to have had this book on my last visit to Portugal because it would have been perfectly adequate as a field guide for Portugal as well.

The text on distribution and abundance is Spain-centric. This book will serve well the many native English speakers who visit regularly or have a second home in Spain. But wherever you live in Europe, it is always to compare and contrast the relative abundance of some species of birds in your home country versus another you are visiting. Visiting birders may find this extra information of interest as field guides often omit that level of detail to remain compact. But this book manages to fit extra information in concisely and even in some cases information on subspecies or similar species whilst keeping the book relatively compact.

The text facing the pages has clear distribution maps. As with other field guides by Lynx Nature Books there are QR codes as well, on the text page facing the plates. These take you to the SEO Birdlife’s Guía de Aves de España site in Spanish. What is most helpful is that you can then listen to the calls as well.

The main section ends with abbreviated accounts of rarities some of which are illustrated. The end pages include a good bibliography, a checklist of species, links to regional bird reports and other internet resources. All in all, it's a field guide that has been put together well and will be a good role model for other country-level field guides which want to pack in a lot of information but nevertheless feel accessible those who have not crossed the line to being hardcore birders.