Even though birds have been studied more thoroughly than any other class of animal, new information still surfaces every year. In 1991 a group of young Danish scientists found a new species of pheasant, the Udzungwa Forest-partridge, deep in the forests of Tanzania in Africa. This pheasant turned out to be related to the Arborophila hill-partridges of Southeast Asia, and was placed in its own monotypic genus when described in 1994. For details see del Hoyo et al. Vol 2 (1994). Other new species still turn up once in a while, adding to the 9,704 species already recognised by Collar et al (1994). And since taxonomic studies are on-going (see How to Use This Book) more discoveries and changes can be expected in future years.
The study and interpretation of bird behavior and habits also continues. For a marvellous worldwide collection of new and astonishing information see David Attenborough's television series, The Life of Birds, produced by the BBC and the associated book, Attenborough (1998).
In our region, outstanding research has been conducted by the Asian Hornbill Network based at Mahidol University in Thailand, see Poonswad and Kemp (1993). After intensive initial research in Khao Yai National Park and later in Huai Kha Khaeng National Park in west Thailand, the project expanded into south Thailand, part of the Sunda subregion. During the 1998 breeding season, an astonishing 80 occupied hornbill nests, representing 6 different species, were observed in this area alone—a staggering number considering the huge and remote primary forest terrain that had to be covered. The observations and documentation of this network has completely transformed our insight into one of the most fascinating rainforest bird families of all. The network is currently expanding into other Southeast Asian countries such as Indonesia, Myanmar and Indochina.
Birding techniques
Birdwatching can be enjoyed without much equipment, but a good pair of binoculars definitely helps. The technology is simple. Binoculars are described by two sets of numbers, the first being the magnification, and the second the front lens diameter in millimetres. In other words, looking at a bird through a 10x40 pair of binoculars makes a bird 10 metres away appear as if it were one metre in front of you, and the four-centimetre lenses should give a reasonably bright image. A 7x42 pair will produce a smaller, but significantly brighter, image.
Since binoculars have few mechanical parts; a pair will last you a long time—probably a lifetime, unless you lose them, since the top brands give a 30-year guarantee. Therefore it pays to select the best pair you can possibly afford, so that you won't waste money upgrading later. Selecting the appropriate pair can be difficult, because so many brands and types are available on the market. Consult an experienced birdwatcher or a dealer that you trust. Optical quality varies enormously; good resolution, clarity and colour reproduction is vital. As with most other things you get what you pay for, so pick a pair that is a little more expensive than what you had in mind and you will be happier in the long run.
A telescope, while slower to operate since a tripod is required to keep it steady, has the advantage of interchangeable eyepieces, allowing for different magnifications. Quality telescopes have fixed magnifications in the range of 20-30 times, and some zoom to 60x, but then the image is not as clear. A 'scope' is useful in open country and on remote mudflats, and can help pick out stationary forest birds. It is especially useful in group birdwatching as it allows more people to observe the bird once it is in the frame.
Birdwatching is a social exercise. Go with someone more experienced than yourself in the beginning, join a nature society and attend their outings, in this way you will be introduced to the best locations in your area. It is best to remain quiet and respect those in the group who take this hobby rather seriously. If you do go on your own, take a small note pad and make notes on any bird that you do not recognise. Look for diagnostic features such as bill and tail shape and distinct colour bands on head or wings, and write down details of what you see. You can always consult your field guide later, once the bird has flown off.
As you become more experienced you will find that bird identification is often done quickly, using the so-called 'jizz' of the bird. This slang expression used by birders is derived from 'gis', an achronym for General Impression and Shape, in US Air Force terminology. The jizz of that small garden bird hopping through the bushes lets you know right away that it is a tailorbird of some kind. Then, as you examine it more closely the pale vent and elongated tail tells you that the bird is a male Common Tailorbird in breeding plumage.
You will find that birds are individuals and show some disparities, even within the same species. Some are more tame than others; during moulting the plumage might not be quite the usual colour, while some species include colour morphs—the Oriental Honey-buzzard varies from all-brown to almost snow-white. In fact you can learn to recognise individual birds which regularly visit your garden or balcony.
Some birdwatchers go on to study the subtle differences of subspecies. Others keep databases of all their observations, most importantly a world list of all species seen. Before you know it, adding to this list becomes something of a compulsive urge, and a so-called 'twitcher' is born—a birdwatcher who travels the globe in restless pursuit of new bird species.
Some birdwatchers carry tape recorders and collect bird calls, while others produce photographs and video recordings. Photographing birds is no easy task. Many birdwatchers have found out that twitching for new species or undertaking a serious survey is totally incompatible with the production of quality photographs, which requires that you walk slowly (the heavy equipment alone slows you down) or that you stay absolutely still in one place. At any rate, you seem to get the best results if you stop chasing the birds and let them come to you instead—by staying motionless or hiding by a fruiting or flowering tree, a forest clearing, in a tree canopy, by a pool of water, a nest or some suitable place that will attract one or more birds. You do not see that many different species this way, but you will get to know the ones you do see intimately, and most importantly you may produce rare documentary material that can be shared with others.
But strictly speaking, apart from binoculars, a birdwatcher really only needs one other tool to successfully pursue his hobby: a field guide identifying the birds in his area. This guide should be complete with all species that one could possibly come across illustrated in colour. Luckily, several such guides exist for parts of this region, notably Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong.
Other important books are handbooks which are, in fact, large books with more detailed accounts of the bird habits than identification field guides provide, e.g. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Monographs featuring particular families also give more detailed information on a smaller selection of birds.
And then there are the photographic guides such as this volume. Complete photographic guides featuring every species are available for areas like Europe and Australia, but one for Southeast Asia, with over 1,400, species would not really be practical and, besides, photographs of all species are simply not available. What a photographic guide can do here is supplement the plates based on drawings in national field guides with photographs from the field. Even the best illustration will contain small discrepancies. Look at the bulbul plates in Birds of Thailand by Lekagul and Round (1991) and compare the Olive-winged Bulbul, Streak-eared Bulbul, Cream-vented Bulbul, Grey-eyed Bulbul and Buff-vented Bulbul there with what the birds really look like in this book and you will see my point. Photographs provide an invaluable source of reference, especially for hard-to-identify groups of bird with many similar species like bulbuls, babblers, warblers and shorebirds. In fact illustrators use (among other things) photographs when they produce field guide plates.
Photographic guides mainly feature those birds most likely to be met in the field—precisely because these are the species that will be available in photographs. The birds in the photos appear exactly as you will encounter them with no artistic adjustments.
Habitats
One of the most fascinating aspects of birdwatching is the study of the way birds depend on their surroundings
