Birds of the Mesozoic An Illustrated Field Guide, by Juan Benito and Roc Olivé Pous: forthcoming

[ceratopsian]

A bookshop sent me advance notice of the publication of Birds of the Mesozoic: An Illustrated Field Guide, by Juan Benito and Roc Olivé Pous
ISBN: 9788416728527.  Publication date (for UK at least) given as June 2022

The website gives the following blurb:
About this book
"Birds are the most diverse tetrapod group today, but they have a rich and complex evolutionary history beyond that of their modern radiation. Appearing during the Jurassic, more than 160 million years ago, birds took to the skies and evolved into a plethora of forms during the Age of the Dinosaurs.

This comprehensive and up to date illustrated field guide, by palaeontologist Juan Benito and palaeoartist Roc Olivé, aims to illustrate in unprecedented detail the staggering diversity of avialans (modern birds and their closest fossil relatives) that lived from the origin of the group until the Mass Extinction that ended the reign of the non-avian dinosaurs 66 million years ago: the birds of the Mesozoic.

This beautifully illustrated field guide includes over 250 full-colour illustrations covering more than 200 types of bird that populated the world during the Mesozoic Era. In addition to detailed fact files on the diverse avifauna of the Mesozoic, including a description of each species, with information on its name, location, size, period, habitat, and general characteristics, Birds of the Mesozoic also seeks to explain the origins of the group and their evolution from other feathered dinosaurs up to the origins of modern birds in the Late Cretaceous. It also covers in detail multiple facets of their phylogenetic, morphological, and ecological diversity, and provides an introduction to bird skeletal anatomy and several of the most recent and cutting-edge methods palaeontologists use to reconstruct fossil bird colour, diet, and biology.

Easy-to-use and pleasant to contemplate, this book is a must for both bird and palaeontology enthusiasts!"

And the following biographies for the two authors:

"Juan Benito is a vertebrate palaeontologist with a PhD from the University of Bath (UK) and currently based at the University of Cambridge. His research focuses on the morphological evolution of birds, and he studies both fossil and extant birds in order to better understand the origins of modern avian diversity. Juan has named new species of Mesozoic bird and is an author in several scientific publications in prestigious journals such as Nature, and his research has received widespread media attention. Juan has a keen interest in scientific outreach and has collaborated with museums and scientific exhibitions.

"Roc Olivé Pous is an artist with a degree in Fine Arts from the University of Barcelona and specialized in palaeoart. Since 2018 he has collaborated with the Catalan Institute of Palaeontology. Illustrator of various books on prehistoric fauna, he has worked for Spanish, European and worldwide publishers, and has also illustrated numerous scientific articles. Roc is passionate about palaeontology, and this has led him to create initiatives and courses related to art and palaeontology through the Catalan Institute of Palaeontology and the scientific outreach platform "Illustraciencia"."

[Halichoeres]

Ooh, thanks for the heads-up. This sounds like a great reference.

[ceratopsian]

I was excited when I saw the notice, @Halichoeres. Let's hope it's as good as it sounds. There isn't too much out there for the layperson wanting information on Mesozoic birds. I have the book on Chinese birds, Birds of Stone, but not that much else. And nothing recently published.

Ooh, thanks for the heads-up. This sounds like a great reference.

[postsaurischian]

 I have the book and I like it a lot - it's wonderfully illustrated by the way .

[Gwangi]

There is a book similar to this, A Field Guide to Mesozoic Birds and Other Winged Dinosaurs by    
Matthew Martyniuk. I don't have it but I've been meaning to get it.

https://www.amazon.com/Field-Guide-Mesozoic-Winged-Dinosaurs/dp/0988596504/ref=sr_1_1?crid=NUGHSR53DU5B&keywords=Birds+of+the+Mesozoic%3A+An+Illustrated+Field+Guide&qid=1654034087&sprefix=birds+of+the+mesozoic+an+illustrated+field+guide%2Caps%2C364&sr=8-1

[postsaurischian]

   Oops, sorry! That's the book I was talking about.

[Stuckasaurus (Dino Dad Reviews)]

Ooooh, that sounds nice! I wonder if they'd be willing to send me a review copy as well?

There is a book similar to this, A Field Guide to Mesozoic Birds and Other Winged Dinosaurs by    
Matthew Martyniuk. I don't have it but I've been meaning to get it.

https://www.amazon.com/Field-Guide-Mesozoic-Winged-Dinosaurs/dp/0988596504/ref=sr_1_1?crid=NUGHSR53DU5B&keywords=Birds+of+the+Mesozoic%3A+An+Illustrated+Field+Guide&qid=1654034087&sprefix=birds+of+the+mesozoic+an+illustrated+field+guide%2Caps%2C364&sr=8-1

I've also been meaning to get that one for ages. I've had it on my Amazon wishlist ever since it came out... holy crap!!! A DECADE AGO?!?!? 

[Gwangi]

Ooooh, that sounds nice! I wonder if they'd be willing to send me a review copy as well?

There is a book similar to this, A Field Guide to Mesozoic Birds and Other Winged Dinosaurs by    
Matthew Martyniuk. I don't have it but I've been meaning to get it.

https://www.amazon.com/Field-Guide-Mesozoic-Winged-Dinosaurs/dp/0988596504/ref=sr_1_1?crid=NUGHSR53DU5B&keywords=Birds+of+the+Mesozoic%3A+An+Illustrated+Field+Guide&qid=1654034087&sprefix=birds+of+the+mesozoic+an+illustrated+field+guide%2Caps%2C364&sr=8-1

I've also been meaning to get that one for ages. I've had it on my Amazon wishlist ever since it came out... holy crap!!! A DECADE AGO?!?!? 

The passage of time is terrifying. I thought it only came out a few years ago but that's definitely not the case. I might just pass on it and wait for this new one.

[ceratopsian]

Thanks @Gwangi - I had missed this one!  The new one should include some new discoveries from those ten years.

There is a book similar to this, A Field Guide to Mesozoic Birds and Other Winged Dinosaurs by    
Matthew Martyniuk. I don't have it but I've been meaning to get it.

https://www.amazon.com/Field-Guide-Mesozoic-Winged-Dinosaurs/dp/0988596504/ref=sr_1_1?crid=NUGHSR53DU5B&keywords=Birds+of+the+Mesozoic%3A+An+Illustrated+Field+Guide&qid=1654034087&sprefix=birds+of+the+mesozoic+an+illustrated+field+guide%2Caps%2C364&sr=8-1

[Halichoeres]

I prefer this one (https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520200944/mesozoic-birds) to Martyniuk's field guide, but it is admittedly less user-friendly and much more expensive. I think the new one will be a better supplement.

[Gothmog the Baryonyx]

There is a book similar to this, A Field Guide to Mesozoic Birds and Other Winged Dinosaurs by    
Matthew Martyniuk. I don't have it but I've been meaning to get it.

https://www.amazon.com/Field-Guide-Mesozoic-Winged-Dinosaurs/dp/0988596504/ref=sr_1_1?crid=NUGHSR53DU5B&keywords=Birds+of+the+Mesozoic%3A+An+Illustrated+Field+Guide&qid=1654034087&sprefix=birds+of+the+mesozoic+an+illustrated+field+guide%2Caps%2C364&sr=8-1

I have this book as well, I found it a brilliant book. Especially since it outright states that birds are a type of winged dinosaur in the title as well unlike other books.

[VD231991]

According to the Lynx Edicions website, Birds of the Mesozoic: An Illustrated Field Guide is now scheduled for publication in September. So far, only two Mesozoic avialans have been described to science this year, Beiguornis and Musivavis, so I'm wondering if this book includes all Mesozoic avialan taxa described in 2021 as well as Beiguornis and Musivavis.

[ceratopsian]

The latest date I saw for the UK was August.

[VD231991]

The Lynx Edition website now lists the book as being scheduled for release next month. In the meantime, a few excerpts from this book are available for viewing at the website:

[ceratopsian]

Gradually grinding closer!

[GojiraGuy1954]

Is this an EoFauna book? It looks like the Sauropods and Theropods books except not a large hardcover

[ceratopsian]

Same publisher.

[GojiraGuy1954]

so EoFauna

[Gothmog the Baryonyx]

This sounds like that old smaller "Field Guide to Mesozoic Birds and other Winged Dinosaurs" which I really liked, but I think this one will be much higher quality, based on that artwork. Will check this out.

[ceratopsian]

Is that really true?  Lynx has a reputation for extant bird books. Does that make them Eofauna??

so EoFauna