Birds of Nepal

an incomplete review of field guides

Despite not being large, Nepal’s topographic diversity means it’s home to nearly ten percent of the world’s known bird species. There are three bird guides on my shelves, all sharing variations on more or less the same title, as you can see above. The eagle-eyed among you may also notice that the smaller one atop the pile has seen significantly more wear and tear than the others: I’ve had it for years and notes and papers litter its pages. It was first published in 1976, and is, I believe, Nepal’s first bird book. (If there’s an earlier one I’m unaware of, please let me know in the comments!)

The other two were given to me more recently, and on the surface they’re much more attractive; one is illustrated with photographs and the other with drawings like the 1976 book. I thought they’d soon become my go-tos, and yet it’s that old well-loved volume that I keep going back to, despite cramped pages and tiny print, while the shiny new volumes are relegated to backups for confirming something that’s less than clear.

Why? Well, the illustrations are many, and detailed, with variations between the sexes clearly indicated. Its real worth to me, however, is in the incredibly specific field notes, which, even after nearly fifty years of change in the country, still mostly ring true. This is probably due to the fact noted on the flyleaf: the authors personally spotted 97% of the birds in the book, in the wild—so they’re writing from experience. Many’s been the time when I’ve been uncertain as to whether something glimpsed was one or another species or sub-species, only to read a description of behaviour and habits that match what I’d seen to a T.

New books are being published all the time, and if you’ve had experience with another title that you’d recommend, please let me know because as far as I’m concerned, one can never have too many good field guides! However, if you’re going to get just one, to me Birds of Nepal: With Reference to Kashmir and Sikkim by Lain Singh Bangdel and the Flemings remains, after 47 years, the gold standard for birding in Nepal.