free e-book “Field Guide to Amazonian Bats”

I don’t think I have seen a notice of this here yet? There is a new and free e-book, titled “Field Guide to Amazonian Bats.” Link is at bottom of the summary below. If that link does not work, go to “tropical conservation dot net” or use the links at Bat Conservation International (BCI).

I am not affiliated with this project, and just am passing it on as an info item.

Charles Hood, Palmdale, CA

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From BCI website:

The aim was to produce an easy-to-use guide that would be both practical and visually appealing. The guide is available in digital format, and can thus be readily consulted on tablets and even smartphones. Interactive links connect all steps of the identification keys making it easy to navigate across the book and link to direct the research to the IUCN Red List species page where more information can be found.

The field guide also features the first acoustic key for Amazonian bats, illustrated with the echolocation spectrogram of most species. This represents a major step towards alleviating the daunting task of identifying the numerous species of aerial insectivorous bats that occur in the Amazon based on their echolocation calls. It further constitutes an important tool to improving the knowledge and optimizing surveys of aerial insectivorous Neotropical bats, a group which remains largely understudied.

As one of the first interactive online field guides for bats, the authors’ aim is to continuously update and improve it. The field guide provides an essential tool, not only for researchers, but also for bat conservationists, consultancies and anyone interested in Neotropical bats in general, and Amazonian bats in particular. The book is published online as an open access e-book free of charge in www.tropicalconservation.net.