The Birdwatchers Guide To Hawaii

This is the first site-specific birding book written especially for the casual or novice birder. It is a fully illustrated look at more than 60 top birding sites on Oahu, Kauai, the Big Island, Maui, Molokai, and Lanai. Every spot described offers something special: forest-dwelling birds unique to Hawaii, seabirds that rarely visit the shore, or introduced birds found in city parks and gardens. Birds of greatest interest and those most likely to be seen at each site are given particular attention, with information on seasonal occurrences to help visitors plan their birding trips. Site descriptions note activities and nearby points of interest, detailed directions to the sites, and available facilities for visitors. Helpful occurrence tables show at a glance where common and uncommon birds can be found. General information on birding in Hawaii, a description of the processes that led to extensive speciation, and a review of the threats against Hawaiian birdlife are included.

Winner of the 2011 Ka Palapala Po‘okela Award of Excellence in Natural Science, Hawai‘i Book Publishers Association Hawai‘i is home to some of the most beautiful and sought after birds in the world. From the offshore waters, where graceful seabirds glide on the cool, refreshing trade winds, to the lush ancient forests of the mountains, where colorful endemic honeycreepers reside, Hawai‘i’s birds are wonderfully diverse. Introduced species and long-distance migrants contribute to the splendid assortment. Some island bird species are extremely abundant and instantly familiar since we encounter them daily in our outdoor activities. Others are so rare they are glimpsed only once in a lifetime. In these magnificent islands there is something for birders of every sort. Superbly illustrated in color by the author and Jack Jeffrey, two of Hawai‘i’s best nature photographers, this guide includes nearly every species of bird on land and at sea in the main Hawaiian Islands. In total, 170 species or subspecies are described and illustrated. This comprehensive work is an essential resource for those who are interested in identifying, locating, and learning more about the avifauna of Hawai‘i.

This is the first field guide to the identification of the birds of the islands of the tropical Pacific, including the Hawaiian Islands, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, southeastern Polynesia, and Micronesia. It is intended both as a reference for the expert and as an introduction to birding in the region for the novice. Small enough to be carried afield, it contains much previously unpublished information about behavior, vocalizations, ecology, and distribution. The forty-five color plates depict all plumages of all bird species that breed in the islands, as well as of those that regularly visit them and the surrounding oceans, and of most species believed to be extinct on the islands. Black-and-white figures show many of the rarer visitors. Introductory sections discuss the tropical Pacific as an environment for birds, problems of birding on islands, and bird conservation. Appendixes include maps of the island groups and a thorough bibliography.

Extinct Birds of Hawai'i captures the vanishing world of unique bird species that has slipped away in the Islands mostly due to human frivolity and unconcern. Richly illustrated, including paintings by Julian P. Hume (many painted specifically for this volume), it enables us to enjoy vicariously avian life unique to Hawai'i that exists no longer. Extinct Birds of Hawai'i also sends a powerful message: Although Hawai'i is well-known for its unique scenic beauty and its fascinating native flora, fauna, bird and marine life, it is also called the extinction capital of the world. The Islands' seventy-seven bird species and sub-species extinctions account for approximately fifteen percent of global bird extinctions during the last seven-hundred years. On some islands over eighty percent of the original land bird species are now extinct. With the many agents of extinction still operating in the Islands' forests, Hawai'i's remaining native land birds are at a high risk of being lost forever. Many birdwatchers, nature lovers, and eco-tourists are unaware of the tremendous loss of species that has occurred in this remote archipelago. Extinct Birds of Hawai'i shows the bird life that has been lost and calls attention to the urgent need for preservation action.

This new book in the American Birding Association Field Guide Series includes complete coverage of all the major species, identification tips, and info on conservation status, habitat, and behaviors. Written by expert birders Helen & Andre F. Raine and filled with gorgeous color images by Jack Jeffrey, the American Birding Association Field Guide to Birds of Hawaii is the perfect companion for anyone wanting to learn more about the natural history and diversity of the state's birds, and when and where to see them.

The essential guide to identifying every species of bird you may see in this area, for both tourists and wildlife enthusiasts.

Birds of Hawaii is a concise guide to Hawaiian birdwatching. The book is divided into three sections: "Native Birds", "Stray Variants to the Hawaiian Islands" and "Imported Birds." Each bird is identified by its scientific name, its common name(or names), and in the case of native birds, by its Hawaiian name. These designations are followed by a description of the bird's essential characteristics, its habitat, its distinctive song or cry, and its habits. The descriptions are enhanced by vivid details from the author's own experience in observing his subjects. Twenty plates in full color, comprising illustrations of more than 150 different species of birds, together with a selection of black and white photographs, provide the reader with an easy means for identification of the birds described.