Howell and Zufelt have crafted a compact but data-rich photographic field guide to all the pelagic birds of the world. This encompasses ∼270 species from 12 families of birds, but only includes species that exhibit a truly pelagic existence for some part of their life cycle. Thus, for instance, Sooty Tern and Sabine's Gull are treated, and yet Common Tern and Herring Gull are not. So this book focuses tightly on the truly pelagic species, and ignores the coastal-dwellers—those living mainly within sight of land. Defining what is or is not truly pelagic must have posed challenges for the authors. I salute their courage.
The book treats pelagic species of penguins, alcids, diving-petrels, petrels and shearwaters, albatrosses, storm-petrels, tropicbirds, frigatebirds, gannets and boobies, skuas and jaegers, gulls and terns, and phalaropes. The only family in this list that makes me wonder a little bit is the penguins. I know this...