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 Small enough to be carried afield, it contains much previously unpublished information about behavior, vocalizations, ecology, and distribution.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.
Product Features
- A Field Guide to the Birds of Hawaii and the Tropical Pacific
Needs better organization. It’s the best available right now Wish someone would redo this book. Needs better organization. It’s the best available right now.
Wish There Was a Better Field Guide I wish there were a newer, more comprehensive guide to this part of the world. I bought the book because I want to be able to identify birds in French Polynesia. I’ve spent some time looking through it, trying to identify some of the birds I photographed, and found the book to be less than user friendly. That said, it’s better than having no guide.
Recommended for serious birders Comprehensive and complete for tropical pacific birds. I like the drawings and field mark notations. Only negative is that there is so much material, in the filed you can get bogged down in minor species from far away (from Hawaii).