BWP Update: The Journal of Birds of the Western Palearctic

Edited by:
  • Malcolm Ogilvie
Oxford University Press. 3/yr. Print only. £85, $150 (institutional); £45, $75 (personal)

Ornithology is in a unique position among the biological sciences: practitioners are, with ever-increasing pace and in meticulous detail, being deluged with new literature about the lives and appearances of their study objects. Caught in this explosion of information, the relatively recent (1977–94), nine-volume, 7021-page reference work, Handbook of the Birds of Europe, the Middle East and North Africa (Oxford University Press, £795), also known as Birds of the Western Palearctic (BWP), is already outdated in many places. A new journal, BWP Update, was therefore launched to keep this ambitious and authoritative work as comprehensive as possible.

Since its launch in April 1997, BWP Update has covered 30 species (out of the 797 in BWP), including short descriptions for 10 species new to the Western Palearctic. The style and format of the book are largely maintained, but a new section on conservation has been added. Distribution maps are now re-drawn and updated in colour.

With its lavish and well-edited appearance, BWP Update may appeal to both professional and amateur ornithologists and birdwatchers, although many may be put off by its high subscription price — especially since much of the ‘new information’, such as updates on population trends and distribution ranges, has already appeared in better formats in recent books. On reflection, an easily updateable and searchable online/CD-ROM edition of BWP Update would be a more valuable innovation than this journal for those using BWP on a regular basis.