Book review: Birds – A Checklist for Southern Africa
A bird checklist might not immediately strike you as a book worth investing in. But for anyone trying to get their head around changes to Southern African bird names, Birds – A Checklist for Southern Africa by Nicolette and Ticky Forbes is a valuable resource.
When I first saw the book in person, I was pleasantly surprised by how beautifully it was presented. My only concern was that I might struggle to write in it for fear of spoiling it! The photographs and illustrations elevate it beyond a straightforward checklist, making it a book that deserves a place on your birding bookshelf.
The checklist follows the global AviList common names and taxonomy for Southern African birds. While much of this information is available through online tools and local apps, the book offers far more than a list of names.
The introduction is packed with useful information for birders who want to understand how the list is put together. It explores what makes a species, explains splits and lumps, and provides an overview of the taxonomic framework. If you are new to birding, don’t let those terms put you off. Despite their scientific backgrounds, the authors explain these concepts in a clear, accessible way. Having attended a few of their courses, I know that they are both fantastic teachers, and that comes through in their writing.
Before the checklist itself, the authors explain their simple system and how to use it. One particularly helpful feature is the inclusion of previous common names alongside the new ones wherever a name has changed. For anyone navigating the name changes, this makes it much easier to connect familiar birds with unfamiliar names. Scientific names are also provided, along with comments on selected species, including details of relevant splits and lumps.
Simple colour coding helps readers identify categories at a glance, including species recorded in the subregion but not yet in South Africa. Keen listers will appreciate the information on vagrants recorded in South Africa and the wider region, while newer birders will find the red highlighting useful for recognising introduced and alien species.
Together, these features make the checklist useful both for keeping records and for exploring the birds behind the names. A short section at the end of the book takes a closer look at some interesting splits and lumps in the region.
Well priced and beautifully presented, this A5 book would make a welcome addition to any birding bookshelf. Electronic resources are useful, but there is still something special about holding a physical book and paging through it. It would also make a thoughtful gift for a newer birder or a more experienced one trying to make sense of changing names.
The authors have taken what could have been a plain, functional list and turned it into an accessible and engaging resource with much broader appeal.
