Juan Freile has been birding throughout Ecuador over the last 20 years, has published more than 80 bird-related papers and books, and works on a wide array of environmental issues. Robin Restall is an acclaimed bird artist, whose works include the magisterial Birds of Northern South America (Helm, 2006).

This up-to-date and comprehensive guide to the birds of mainland Ecuador is a valuable resource for anyone exploring the mountains, forests and wetlands of this incredibly bird-rich country. With thousands of beautiful and detailed paintings, accompanied by concise descriptions and accurate maps, this is an indispensible guide to bird identification in Ecuador.

· Covers every species and most subspecies recorded in Ecuador, including migrants and vagrants, with accurate and up-to-date distribution maps.

· 291 colour plates illustrating more than 1,630 species, with text on facing pages for quick and easy reference.

· Concise text covering identification, voice, habits, habitats, range, distribution and status.

Wins friends from the outset ... very appealing, with enough detail to identify all but the most cryptic birds ... Next time [I visit Ecuador] it'll be Freile & Restall in my backpack.