Ornithologists who visit lowland tropical rain forest regions know that many, indeed most, bird species inhabiting such places are not gaudy, but subdued in color, typically skulking in the understory, often difficult to observe. These “drab” species nonetheless make for fascinating study. This volume is a celebration of those diverse understory birds as they are represented in Panama. It is a slender but nonetheless large book measuring 11.5 3 10.5 inches, suitable for a coffee table. As full disclosure, this writer contributed the afterword to the book and read some of the species accounts while the book was in preparation.
John Whitelaw, the senior editor, is not an ornithologist but rather a cellular pathologist. His involvement in spearheading this book derives from his remarkable skill as a photographer as well as his fascination with and acquired knowledge of Neotropical understory bird species (Whitelaw, in addition to being the photographer, is...