Os Beija-flores do Brasil

Welcome to the first segment of books I'm introducing as "Lesser Known Gems".  These are books I've deemed to be noteworthy but may be somewhat obscure or unfamiliar.  These are hidden gems that will be appreciated by the bird book aficionado.

Os Beija-flores do Brasil

by Grantsau, Rolf

1988, 233pp, ISBN: 8520801005

Basics:  hardcover; large format (11x8 inches) contains 37 good color plates of 85 species found in Brazil; 229 large illustrations show male and female as well as various subspecies; 89 b&w line illustrations show nests and young along with detailed diagrams of wings, tail, feathers, or head to compare similar species; 18 b&w photographs show habitat types and some species; text focuses primarily on giving concise descriptions of each species as well as the genders and subspecies; identification keys to all species and subspecies are provided for each genus; 14 full-page maps with outlines of provinces and major rivers show locations of sightings for all species; 5-7 species are included per map; all text is in only Portuguese