Many species are assigned to different genus, and many new genus are introduced or ressurected: Psilorhinus (Brown Jay), Peucea (8 species of sparrows: Cinnamon-tailed, Rufous-winged, Stripe-headed, Black-chested, Bridled, Botteri's, Cassin's and Bachman's), Oreothlypis (8 species of warbler: Tennessee, Orange-crowned, Nashville, Virginia's, Colima, Lucy's Warbler, Flame-throated and Crescent-chested) Parkesia (Louisiana and Northern Waterthrushes) and Rhynchophanes (McCown's Longspur).

The Blue-winged Warbler's latin name is now Vermivora cyanoptera, and several sparrows (Emberizidae) belonging to the genus Atlapetes, Pipilo, Aimophila and Melozone, have been reorganized.

Four new orders are introduced (Phaethontiformes, Suliformes, Accipitriformes, and Eurypygiformes) and no less than 11 new families are also introduced or restored: Pandionidae (Osprey), Capitonidae (Barbets), Semnornithidae (Toucan-Barbet), Polioptilidae (Gnatcatchers), Cettiidae (Bush Warblers), Phylloscopidae (Leaf Warblers), Acrocephalidae (Reed Warblers), Donacobiidae (Donacobius), Megaluridae (Grassbirds), Calcariidae (Snow Buntings and Longspurs), and Viduidae (Whydahs). Several families are also moved into different orders, and several changes of species sequences are also necessary.

In summary, there are many changes affecting the higher levels of classifications and the taxonomic affinities. Those looking for armchair ticks should pay attention to Pacific/Winter Wren, Eastern/Mexican Whip-poor-will, the Greater Antillean Oriole complex and the Elepaio from the Hawaiian Islands. Those travelling a little further afield may also get a few extra ones, such as the 2 trogons or the American scoter.

The full list and supplement should normally be available from the AOU web site shortly. You can also see a full comparison of the new version against earlier ones on this Avibase comparison tool.
 

Over one-third of the 300 birds found on Madagascar are found nowhere else in the world. In term of proportion, this is higher than any other country except Australia. Madagascar is also the 6th country in term of absolute number of endemics. This includes some fantastically beautiful species, such as the asities (see example here), the vangas (here, here, here and here), the ground-rollers (here, here and here). Any book covering the island country will therefore be of great interest to serious world bird travellers. The illustrated field guide also cover other Indian Ocean islands, such as the Seychelles, the Mascarenes (Réunion and Mauritius) and the Comoros, which together have well over 50 other endemics. All told, this book cover about 180 species that are found nowhere else in the world.

The book itself did not disappoint. At 184 pages, it covers all of the regular species found in the area. The 71 plates have been completed by 4 different artists. I thought that there was a bit of differences in quality among the plates, with the passerines generally being my favorites, but the quality was very pleasant overall. Range maps are presented for all species in the book, and those are useful, but it is difficult to exactly identify which of the islands are being shown in the Seychelles in particular. The accompanying text will generally complement the maps nicely and provide clarifications on the status in each region. Overall, this is a book that I strongly recommend. Now I just hope that I will have an opportunity to use it in the field one of these days!
 

Morocco is a destination that has been on our radar to visit for a little while now, so I received this book with great interest. This is a fairly standard format for the genre. My first impression is that it is nicely laid out, well written, and appears to have most of the features one would expect from a birdfinding guide. It starts with a short section with background information for visitors, a list of site described with specific birds of interest for birdwatchers, site maps for the major sites, a complete bird checklist of the country (in addition to other taxonomic groups such as vertebrates, insects and plants), and includes a section on the most sought-after birds that refer back to the site descriptions (although not all sites are mentioned). Having never been to Morocco or Northern Africa, it is difficult for me to judge whether the book covers all the major sites. This is a much expanded second edition of a book first published in 1990, and now boasts about 50 sites spread across the country. Seven years have elapsed since its publication, and while a vast majority of the information should remain accurate, some things have changed, including newly paved roads, etc. A recent road map will be a necessary companion to this book.

My primary regret is that there is no map that shows the location of the sites up front in the book. There is a map of the natural regions, and each site account clearly identifies to which region they belong, but the index itself doesn't provide that information. At least, the sites appear to be all presented in the same order as the number of the natural regions, and with only about 50 sites, this is only a minor inconvenience in what should be overall a very useful book.