The world´s largest choir in words and images. South America boasts the highest avian diversity and endemism in the world. Until recently, there had been no single field guide which would cover all the passerines of the "bird continent". In 2009, a field guide by R. S. Ridgely (authoritative text) and G. Tudor (meticulously detailed plates) finally filled the long-standing gap. Here, we present a review of this excellent field guide and put it into the context of previously published literature on South American birds.