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Miles McMullan

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Author and Illustrator Miles McMullan in his Studio, 2020

Miles McMullan (born William Niall McMullan,[1] 1 August 1967 in Bangor) is an author, illustrator, conservationist and naturalist from Northern Ireland, who has made innovative books on neotropical wildlife.

Early life

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McMullan studied at Our Lady and St. Patrick's College, Ulster University and Trinity College, Dublin.[2] He worked as a prize-winning landscape and portrait painter in his early years.[3][4] He qualified as an editor and worked for several years writing academic texts before concentrating in the wildlife field guides that he has made since 2008.[5][4][6]

Career as an Author

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McMullan has specialised in making nature guidebooks for the most diverse countries of tropical South American countries[3] including Venezuela, Colombia and Ecuador, where he has also worked as a naturalist guide, birding tourguide and author.[7] His influential guide to the birds of Colombia was named second best bird book of 2010,[8] second only to the acclaimed Collins Birds of Europe,[9] and Neotropical Bird Club named his guides among the 25 best books of the past 25 years,[10] noting their concise treatment of very large avifaunas.

His Colombia book, with over 5000 illustrations and 2000 range distribution maps has been described as among the largest books ever made by a single author/illustrator.[11] His books marked a divergence from the style used in previous national guidebooks.[8][12][7]

Titles

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His titles include Field Guide to the Birds of Colombia (with Thomas Donegan)[13][6][14][15][5][16] (2010, updates in 2014, 2018, 2024), Fieldbook of the Birds of Ecuador (with Lelis Navarrete)[17] (2013, updated 2017), Field Guide to the Hummingbirds[18] (2016), Field Guide to the Galapagos Islands[19] (2017), Birds of the Colombian Andes[20] (2019), Birds of Meta and the Colombian Llanos[21] (2019), Birds of the Western Cordillera[22] (2019), Birds and Common Mammals of Ecuadorian Amazon (with Andrés Vásquez)[23] (2012), Birds of Northwest Ecuador (with Andrés Vásquez)[24] and many other titles such as regional and reserve guides. He has published many smaller guidebooks and has spoken of the importance of smaller local guidebooks and pamphlets in developing a strong rural economy that supports conservation and ecology.[25]

Additionally, he has been author or co-author of several research papers, magazine and journal articles.[26][27] His illustrations have appeared in several other books, articles, publications, including forming part of the natural history collection of the Luis Angel Arango Library of the National Bank of Colombia.[28][29][1]

Conservation and Other Work

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McMullan has worked with a number of conservation organizations and foundations, especially in bird conservation in the tropical Americas.[30][7][31] He is a devoted environmentalist and advocate of low-impact wildlife-watching - he has spoken in favor of more local birding as a more sustainable alternative, and voiced concerns about the impacts of the travel involved in global birding.[4][25][32] He is involved with indigenous communities such as the Awá of southwestern Colombia and the conservation of their lands[4] and is an active campaigner and donor in the battle to combat climate change.[25]

In August 2022 he received a special recognition of his work with women's groups in rural Colombia from the Ministry of Science of Colombia.[33]

He is a regular speaker at birding and conservation fairs and conferences,[34][35][36] occasional exhibitor of his paintings[37] and has appeared on television programs broadcast in UK, Spain,[38] Australia and Colombia, where programs have been made exclusively about his work.[32][39][40]

He currently lives in Pasto, Colombia.[2]

Books by Miles McMullan

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  • Arte de Pajaros, Pablo Neruda (author) and Miles McMullan (illustrator) (2024)[41]
  • Field Guide to the Birds of Colombia (2010, 2014, 2018)[13][11][16]
  • Birds of Nariño - Aves de Nariño (2023)[42]
  • Guia de Campo de Las Aves de Colombia (2011, 2021)[43][44]
  • Fieldbook of the Birds of Ecuador (2013, 2017)[17]
  • Field Guide to the Hummingbirds (2016)[18]
  • Field Guide to the Galapagos Islands (2017)[19]
  • Birds of the Colombian Andes (2019)[20]
  • Birds of Meta and the Colombian Llanos (2019)[21]
  • Birds of the Western Cordillera (2019)[22]
  • Birds and Common Mammals of Ecuadorian Amazon (2012)[23]
  • Birds of Northwest Ecuador (2009)[24]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Biblioteca Virtual Miguel de Cervantes William Niall Mc Mullan". cervantesvirtual.
  2. ^ a b Congreso Aviturismo (5 October 2018). "9o Congreso de Aviturismo". Aves Caldas.
  3. ^ a b Lara, Brian (2 April 2018). "El aviario ilustrado de Miles McMullan". Bakanika.
  4. ^ a b c d Betancourt, David (2 August 2020). "Miles McMullan Interview". PalSurp.
  5. ^ a b Silva, Javier (15 October 2011). "El irlandes que pinto todas las aves". El tiempo.
  6. ^ a b McMullan, Miles (2018). Field Guide to the Birds of Colombia. Rey Naranjo Editores. ISBN 978-958-8969-77-0.
  7. ^ a b c Emblin, Richard (3 February 2013). "The Illustrator of Birds". City Paper.
  8. ^ a b The Hoopoe (31 December 2010). "Books of the year 2010".
  9. ^ Svensson, Lars (1999). Collins bird guide. Zetterström, Dan., Mullarney, Killian., Grant, P. J. (Peter James), 1943-. London: HarperCollins. ISBN 0-00-219728-6. OCLC 40754502.
  10. ^ Jeffers, Raymond (6 June 2020). "The 25 best Neotropical Bird Books from the last 25 years" (PDF). Neotropical birdclub.
  11. ^ a b McMullan. "Nueva guia de aves para Colombia". Youtube.
  12. ^ McMullan, Miles (13 December 2017). "Why Colombia needs a new bird book". Colombia Reports.
  13. ^ a b McMullan, Miles (16 October 2023). Field guide to the birds of Colombia. Donegan, Thomas M., Bartels, Avery, Ellery, Trevor. [Bogotá, Colombia]. ISBN 978-958-8969-77-0. OCLC 1132871148.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  14. ^ Harindranath, Arjun (17 May 2018). "Bird Life". Bogota Post.
  15. ^ Gutierrez, Ana (19 December 2017). "Una nueva manera de conocer las aves de Colombia". Revista Arcadia.
  16. ^ a b McMullan, Miles (30 September 2024). Field Guide to the Birds of Colombia (Revised ed.). Colombia: Ensifera, McMullan Birding. ISBN 9786289633252.
  17. ^ a b McMullan, Navarrete, Miles (2013). Fieldbook of the Birds of Ecuador. Quito, Ecuador: Jocotoco. ISBN 978-0982-76-153-3.
  18. ^ a b McMullan, Ellery, Miles (2016). Field Guide to the Hummingbirds. Quito: Ratty Ediciones. ISBN 978-9942-14-392-1.
  19. ^ a b McMullan, Navarrete, Miles (2017). Field Guide to the Galapagos Islands. Quito, Ecuador: Ratty Ediciones. ISBN 978-9942-28-429-7.
  20. ^ a b McMullan, Miles (2019). Birds of the Colombian Andes. Cali, Colombia: McMullan Birding. ISBN 978-958-48-8447-3.
  21. ^ a b McMullan, Miles (2019). Birds of Meta and the Colombian Llanos. Cali, Colombia: McMullan Birding. ISBN 978-958-48-7887-8.
  22. ^ a b McMullan, Miles (2019). Birds of the Western Cordillera. Cali, Colombia: McMullan Birding. ISBN 978-958-48-7615-7.
  23. ^ a b McMullan and Vasquez (2012). Birds and Common Mammals of Ecuadorian Amazon. Quito, Ecuador: Spot Fieldbooks. ISBN 978-9942-02-411-4.
  24. ^ a b McMullan and Vasquez (2009). Birds of Northwest Ecuador. Quito, Ecuador: Spot Fieldbooks. ISBN 978-9942-02-694-1.
  25. ^ a b c McMullan, Miles (23 September 2020). "Climate week Colombia 2020". Facebook.
  26. ^ Researchgate (1 December 2013). "Scientific Contributions by W. Miles McMullan". Researchgate.
  27. ^ Researchgate (3 February 2016). "Scientific Contributions by Miles McMullan". Researchgate.
  28. ^ Peña, Pantoja (2016). Aves de las Sabanas de Casanare. Bogotá, Colombia: Planeta, CEPSA. ISBN 9789584256812.
  29. ^ "Banco de La Republica Cultural". Museo Luis Angel Arango, Banco de La Republica.
  30. ^ "Sobre Nosotros". Mindo Cloudforest Foundation (in Spanish). Retrieved 15 June 2021.
  31. ^ "Guia de las Aves de Colombia". proaves. 5 September 2014.
  32. ^ a b Los Informantes (21 May 2018). "Pajaros Volando - Miles McMullan". Los Informantes.
  33. ^ "Miles McMullan". Facebook.
  34. ^ "Miles McMullan congresista". Congreso Aviturismo. 6 March 2018.
  35. ^ Neira, Laura (13 February 2019). "La Agenda del Feria Internacional de Aves incluye Charla de Miles McMullan". La Republica.
  36. ^ Cali (31 August 2018). "Festival "Oiga, Mire, Lee" un espacio de Literatura, Poesia y Musica". El Tiempo.
  37. ^ UNIVERSITY BONAVENTURIANA (6 October 2020). "Vuelos Posibles - Miles McMullan".
  38. ^ El Pais (18 April 2018). "Miles McMullan, Un amante del tropico". YouTube.
  39. ^ TVOrinoquia (3 May 2018). "Lanzamiento del Libro de Aves". Lanzamiento del libro de aves de Colombia.
  40. ^ Torrado, Santiago (18 April 2018). "Miles McMullan, Un Amante del Tropico". El Pais.
  41. ^ Neruda, Pablo (August 2024). Arte de Pajaros (in Spanish). Colombia: Ensifera Editores. ISBN 9786289593082.
  42. ^ McMullan, Miles (10 October 2023). Aves de Nariño - Birds of Nariño. Colombia: Felca. ISBN 9786289572407.
  43. ^ McMullan Quevedo y Donegan (2011). Guia de Campo de las Aves de Colombia. Bogota, Colombia.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  44. ^ McMullan, Miles (2021). Guía de Campo de las Aves de Colombia. Bogota Colomba: McMullan Birding. ISBN 9789584910325.
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