Basics: 1992, softcover, 207 pages, 40 b&w drawings, 40 species

Focusing on a specific subset of the birds found in the Dominican Republic, this book covers 40 species, including all of the country's endemics. This book is strictly a natural history account of the birds. Each bird is given its own chapter of 3-6 pages. The accounts are more of a diary of the bird's typical habits from the perspective of a naturalist who obviously enjoys watching nature.

The material covered ranges from enthused descriptions of the bird, to observations of the bird's flying and interaction with nature, to nest building or singing. The information is not presented in a scientific method that could be used for research with any depth. It is more along the lines of reading John Muir's excursions through the wilderness.

In case you're wondering, this is definitely not an identification guide of any sort. The only illustrations are 40 black-and-white line drawings of less-than-average quality. These are used only for decoration at the beginning of each bird's chapter.

This is a charming book meant to appeal to the naturalist with an interest in the Dominican birdlife. To get a flavor of the author's style, it might be entertaining to give samples of how the author titles each of her chapters. The chapter on the Least Pauraque is labeled "He Sings His Own Name in Spanish". The Hispaniolan Trogon is the most creative with "A Barking Dog with Geranium-red Underpants".

I’ve listed several related books below…
1) Aves Comunes de la Republica Dominicana by Latta/Fernandez
2) The Birds of Haiti and the Dominican Republic by Wetmore
3) The Birds of Hispaniola by Keith
4) Aves de la Republica Dominicana by Dod
5) Birds of the West Indies by Bond
6) Birds of the West Indies by Raffaele
7) A Guide to the Birds of the West Indies by Raffaele
8) Photographic Guide to Birds of the West Indies by Flieg
9) Guia de Campo para las Aves de la Republica Dominicana by Dod ( )