Journal of Threatened
Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 November 2022 | 14(11): 22203–22204
ISSN 0974-7907
(Online) | ISSN 0974-7893 (Print)
https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.8278.14.11.22203-22204
#8278 | Received 22
November 2022
Decoding a group of winged
migrants!
Review
by Priyanka Iyer
Zoo Outreach Organisation,
43/2 Varadarajulu Nagar, 5th Street West,
Ganapathy, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu 641006, India.
priyanka@zooreach.org
Date of publication: 26 November 2022 (online & print)
Citation: Iyer, P. (2022). Decoding a group of
winged migrants! Journal
of Threatened Taxa 14(11): 22203–22204. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.8278.14.11.22203-22204
Copyright: © Iyer 2022. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
International License. JoTT allows unrestricted use, reproduction, and
distribution of this article in any medium by providing adequate credit to the
author(s) and the source of publication.
Published 2021
Format: Hardback.
Edition: 1st
536 pages
ISBN: 9789354266966
Publisher: Self-published (partly
supported by WWF-India)
Waders are a group of birds that
are awe-inspiring and dainty but many a birder has struggled with
identification of this vast group in the Indian subcontinent. To address this
concern Harkirat Singh Sangha has written a
comprehensive hardbound book titled, “Waders of the Indian Subcontinent”.
The book has an excellent
compilation of information on 84 species of waders including some of the rare
and cryptic species. The book aptly handles wader identification characters
with clear illustrations, geographic range with a large enough maps for each
species, past works and gives briefs about each of these publications (both pre
and post-independence). Some of the other topics relevant to understanding
waders, migration, flyways, and all the habitats preferred by waders including
specific sites where migratory waders are recorded, are succinctly covered.
Not only does the book cover
ecological and historic factors but also gives a brief account of the threats
that are affecting waders such as habitat loss and degradation, pollution,
hunting, and global warming. This is followed by existing conservation
measures/projects including citizen science initiatives and briefly mentions the
Ramsar Convention, Important Bird Areas, Coastal
Regulation Zone Notification, and Convention on Migratory Species which gives
the avid birder a basic understanding of the existing tools for conservation of
this fantastic group.
The chapter on using this book is
helpful and states how this book is a labour of love,
something that is evident in the product itself for a lot of painstaking effort
has gone into the minute details of the book.
The colour
plates in the book are a good attempt and there are many illustrations for each
species in different moults, stages of development
(breeding, non-breeding, juvenile) and variations are also well showcased.
The species accounts have great
detail including behaviours, status, conservation,
and maps are large as opposed to the ones seen in field guides. Each species is
represented with local names, old names, taxonomy, distribution, field
characters, description (different ages/stages), racial variation,
measurements, moults, vocalizations, general habits,
food/foraging, breeding, habitat, movements, status & conservation, and
ample photographs in various life stages, habitats, & natural light
setting. This in itself is a testament to the amount of research and detailing
that has gone into each species. There is also a special section not seen in
field guides regarding confusion species wherein it gives the birder
information and fair warning about how species ‘a’ may get confused with
species ‘b’ for specific reasons. This is especially useful when tackling a group
such as waders.
Each species account is very well
detailed and the author has not held back any information for lack of space and
this makes the book very comprehensive. The layout is neat and each photograph
is well placed, including photographs of young chicks in some cases which is
again helpful in case of nest sighting in the field. Each photograph is
credited individually and the photographers range far and wide. The book has a
total of 540 original paintings and 450 colour
photographs which in itself is a stupendous task when looking at 84 species.
For the purpose of this book the Indian subcontinent refers to Bangladesh,
Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and the Chagos. The book is a treasure trove of information and
kudos to the author on this great effort. I would like to add that the book is
slightly larger and heavier than a regular field guide but for avid birders it
can prove extremely useful.
On the whole the book has covered
all aspects connected to waders and has made references to most of the past
studies on waders in the Indian subcontinent. It is undoubtedly a great book to
not only identify but also understand ecology, behaviour,
migration, and conservation of these complex groups.
Some of the aspects that would have improved this
publication are some minor grammar issues, spacing consistency, and layout
lapses. I am sure some of these challenges can be tackled in the next edition
of this book. I would whole-heartedly recommend this book as a great book to
start identifying and understanding waders holistically.