Approximately 3,600 bird species occur in the 21 countries of mainland Central and South America, of which 290 are listed as threatened. Taking a country-by-country, site-based approach, this book documents the 596 most important areas for the conservation of these threatened birds. Introductory chapters define Key Areas and the distribution of threatened species, describe habitats, threats and conservation, and identify the gaps in our knowledge of Neotropical birds. Copyright BirdLife International. Distributed in the Americas by Smithsonian Institution Press.