The Birds Of Kaua I

Kaua'i is the place for birdwatching in Hawai'i. Let The Birds of Kauai be your guide! Written in an appealing, informal style, The Birds of Kaua'i offers readers an enjoyable look at the avifauna of Hawai'i's oldest island. Two of the most important and impressive sites for birdwatching in the State are located on Kaua'i: Kilauea National Wildlife Refuge and Alaka'i Wilderness Preserve. Kilauea, on the island's windward shore, boasts substantial populations of seabirds, which can be viewed up close; Alaka'i is the most pristine native rain forest in the Islands and until two short decades ago its valleys still echoed with the songs of every native bird historically known to reside there. Today many species continue to thrive in the lush ancient forest. Superbly illustrated with more than 80 color photographs, The Birds of Kauai covers every avian species that can be seen on the Garden Island. The author's knowledge and enthusiasm are evident on each page as he describes native forest birds, seabirds, alien birds, and migratory visitors. One of world's rarest birds is the Kaua'i 'O'o, the victim of predation and extensive changes to its environment. These and other threats to the Island's fragile bird populations are discussed.

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.

Honorable Mention, 2011 Ka Palapala Po‘okela Award of Excellence in Natural Science, Hawai‘i Book Publishers Association More than 300 species of seabirds range across the world’s oceans. In excess of 14 million birds, representing nearly two dozen species, make their home in the Hawaiian islands. These are na manu kai, the birds of the sea. More than 135 color photographs illustrate this beautiful book showcasing the seabirds of Hawai‘i—from the far eastern tip of the Big Island to the recently created Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument. The monument encompasses the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands and the surrounding waters, which together form the second largest marine wildlife reserve in the world. In addition to his spectacular photographs, the author shares the lessons he has learned during the many years spent with his camera in seabird colonies, providing an engaging personal perspective on life with seabirds. Naturalists, wildlife biologists, birders, and others (including older children) who share an interest in the natural world and appreciate fine wildlife photography, will find this book a handy and informative resource on Hawai‘i’s birds of the sea as well as a delightful experience for the eye.138 color illus.

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.

A lively, rich natural history of Hawaiian birds that challenges existing ideas about what constitutes biocultural nativeness and belonging This natural history takes readers on a thousand-year journey as it explores the Hawaiian Islands’ beautiful birds and a variety of topics including extinction, evolution, survival, conservationists and their work, and, most significantly, the concept of belonging. Author Daniel Lewis, an award-winning historian and globe-traveling amateur birder, builds this lively text around the stories of four species—the Stumbling Moa-Nalo, the Kaua‘I ‘O‘o, the Palila, and the Japanese White-Eye. Lewis offers innovative ways to think about what it means to be native and proposes new definitions that apply to people as well as to birds. Being native, he argues, is a relative state influenced by factors including the passage of time, charisma, scarcity, utility to others, short-term evolutionary processes, and changing relationships with other organisms. This book also describes how bird conservation started in Hawai‘i, and the naturalists and environmentalists who did extraordinary work.

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.