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Marshall Islands

The books are listed by publication date with the most recent at the top.

Pacific

Pacific Ocean

Birds of Hawaii, New Zealand, and the Central and West Pacific

Ber Van Perlo

Princeton University Press

2011

(Same plates and text as Collins book below)

"This is the only comprehensive and handy pocket guide that illustrates and describes the bird species of Hawaii, New Zealand, and the Central and West Pacific. Featuring more than 750 species illustrated in vivid and stunning detail on 95 color plates, this authoritative guide provides information on key identification features, habitat, songs, and calls. Birds of Hawaii, New Zealand, and the Central and West Pacific is a must-have for birders of all levels interested in this region of the world."

Birds of New Zealand, Hawaii, Central and West Pacific

Ber Van Perlo

Harper Collins

2011

(Same plates and text as Princeton book above)

"Featuring over 750 species, Birds of New Zealand, Hawaii, Central and West Pacific is the only field guide to illustrate and describe every species of bird you may see in the area, from New Zealand and New Guinea to Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Text gives information on key identification features, habitat, and songs and calls. All plumages for each species are illustrated, including those of males, females and juveniles. The stunning 95 colour plates appear opposite their relevant text for quick and easy reference. Distribution maps are included, showing where each species can be found and how common it is, to further aid identification. This comprehensive and highly portable guide is a must for all birdwatchers visiting the region."

A Check-list Of The Birds And Mammals Of Micronesia

Gary J. Wiles

2005

Abstract: "This paper lists a total of 279 bird and 44 mammal species from Micronesia through March 2005, with listings provided for nine island groups or islands, including Palau, Yap, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Chuuk, Pohnpei, Kosrae, the Marshall Islands, and Wake Atoll. The region's avifauna currently comprises 167 visiting species, 81 native breeding species, 13 introduced breeding species, four extinct species, one species extinct in the wild, and 13 hypothetical species. Its mammal fauna contains 18 visiting species, eight native breeding species, 14 introduced breeding species, two extinct species, and two hypothetical species. Species counts are highest for birds at Palau (148 species), the CNMI (144), and Guam (128), and for mammals at Guam (25), Palau (19), and the CNMI (19). These numbers reflect both the closer proximity of these islands to eastern Asia, New Guinea, and the East Asian-Australasian Flyway, and the greater number of observers present. Thirty-eight new bird species have been reported for Micronesia since the last region-wide checklist was published in 1985, whereas the mammal list is the first ever compiled for the region. Species entries in the checklist are annotated with information on status and a documenting reference that is often the first published record. Additional background information on occurrence or taxonomy is given for some species."

A Field Guide to the Birds of Hawaii and the Tropical Pacific

H. Douglas Pratt, Phillip L. Bruner and Delwyn G. Berrett

1987

A field guide to birds found in the Hawaiian islands, Micronesia, Fiji and tropical Polynesia. Colour plates provide various plumages for 419 species. Black and white drawing provide additional identification assistance. Text gives information on appearance, distribution, and song.

A Checklist Of The Birds Of Micronesia

Robert P. Owen

1977

A 17 page annotated checklist listing 191 species. Includes introductory material and references.

Ornithology Of The Marshall and Gilbert Islands

A.Binion Amerson Jr.

Smithsonian Institution

1969

A 332 page report.

From the abstract: "The avifauna of the Marshall and Gilbert Islands and the surrounding ocean consists of 79 species, of which 77 are seabirds and 42 are land and fresh-water birds. Of these 79 species, 20 are recorded here for the first time. One species, a procellarid, is recorded here as a new breeding record for the area. In addition, many species are new records for the 50 atolls and islands located within the area. Collected bird specimens from the Marshall-Gilbert area now total 1,133 (44 species), of which 585 (43 species) were collected by the Pacific Ocean Biological Survey Program. The average number of bird species per island is 17 in the Marshall-Gilbert area."

The Avifauna of Micronesia, Its Origin, Evolution, and Distribution

Rollins H. Baker

University of Kansas publications

Museum of Natural History

1951

Introduction: "Birds in Micronesia comprise the most outstanding animal life of the islands, as far as vertebrates are concerned. No fewer than 206 kinds, belonging to 37 families and 91 genera have been found there. Although this number upon first consideration may seem large, actually any large land mass in the same latitude has many more kinds of birds than does Micronesia. In this connection it is pertinent to recall that the islands of Micronesia are oceanic and have apparently been formed independently of any continental land mass. Thus, animal life found on these islands has reached them by overseas migration, either by some passive means or by individual effort. Zoogeographers have had some difficulty in explaining the presence of snails and other nonflying animals on isolated oceanic islands. Crampton, in his studies of the land snails of the genus Partula at Guam and Saipan (1925:10), writes, "Despite the geological difficulties, the biological findings strongly support the view that the dominant process in this part of Oceania has been one of subsidence and of insular dissection." Although there exists today some question as to how certain forms of life have reached these remote dots of land, the ornithologist has not been much in doubt as to the actual means of arrival of birds. With the exception of six kinds of birds which are definitely known to have been introduced by man, the birds have apparently reached these islands by flying there from somewhere else. The ornithologist is, therefore, concerned with learning from where, by what route, when, and why the various species of birds came and how they have become established on these islands of Micronesia. These birds exist in small populations; often less than 100 individuals of one kind may be found on a small island. How have such small numbers had the ability to survive and what environmental adaptations have occurred, are two additional questions which confront the student of Micronesian birds."

Birds of the Southwest Pacific: A Field Guide to the Birds of the Area between Samoa, New Caledonia, and Micronesia

Ernst Mayr

Line drawings: Alexander Seidel

Macmillan

1945