For Immediate Release Media contact: The Field Museum Greg Borzo 312/665-7106 gborzo@fieldmuseum.org Lavishly illustrated guide to Peru's birds describes 1,800 species Peru is home to 20% of the world's birds CHICAGO—More than 30 years in the making, Birds of Peru describes the birds of Peru through 304 color plates, 1,700 species distribution maps, also in color, and concise descriptive text. The first two authors of this landmark publication, Tom Schulenberg, PhD, and Douglas Stotz, PhD, are conservation ecologists and ornithologists in the Field Museum's Environmental and Conservation Program. Therefore the Museum will host a free public event launching the book on December 5th "This beautiful publication can serve as a coffee table book or as a scientifically rigorous field guide," said Schulenberg, lead author of the book. Birds of Peru, just published by Princeton Press, is centered on the 304 high-quality color plates that illustrate all of Peru's almost 1,800 known bird species. The detailed text describes key identification features, status, distribution, and vocalization for all the species, as well as many subspecies. The book will be an indispensable resource for birdwatchers, biologists, naturalists, and conservationists working with the incredibly rich birdlife in Peru. "We view Birds of Peru not just as a guide for birdwatchers to identify the birds they see in Peru, but as a tool to help the Peruvian people protect the tremendous natural biological wealth that they have in their country," Stotz said. "To that end, a Spanish language version of the book is being created and will be available next year." Despite decades of study by dozens of ornithologists, much still remains to be learned about the birds of Peru, said John O'Neill, an illustrator, field ornithologist, co-author of the book, and Research Associate at the Louisiana State University Museum of Natural Science. "This beautiful and fascinating country still holds many ornithological secrets, and we hope this book will inspire a whole new generation of birding in Peru. " Continue>>