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

Mauritius Birds

- Dodo

Indian Ocean

- Indian Ocean books

Birds of Madagascar and the Indian Ocean Islands

Frank Hawkins, Roger Safford, Adrian Skerrett

Helm Field Guides

Bloomsbury Publishing / Christopher Helm

2015

"This new field guide in the Helm Field Guides series covers the whole of the Malagasy region, which comprises the unique island of Madagascar and the various islands and archipelagos of the Indian Ocean including the Seychelles, Comoros and Mascarenes (Mauritius, Réunion and Rodrigues). Every resident and migrant species is covered in full detail with a colour distibution map for each species. Vagrants are also treated in detail, but without maps. All species are illustrated on a beautiful series of 124 colour plates, with artwork from John Gale and Brian Small. Conveniently, the plates have been arranged so that all the key species of the various archipelagos are placed together in sections. This is a major work of reference on the birds of the region and will remain the standard text for many years to come."

Birds of Mauritius and Rodrigues / Birds: Île Maurice – Rodrigues

Jacques de Spéville

2015

"Birds of Mauritius and Rodrigues makes a presentation of the bird species that still exist today in the Mauritian territory. These species can be divided into four main groups: the Endemic, the Native, the Migratory and the Exotic species. A section is devoted to each of these groups, with a presentation of the species that constitute it along with relevant information on their main characteristics. The dangers encountered by certain species are also highlighted as well as the relevance of programmes undertaken by specialized agencies to protect, reintroduce and create more awareness towards endangered species in Mauritius."

Birds of the Indian Ocean Islands: Madagascar, Mauritius, Réunion, Rodrigues, Seychelles and the Comoros

Ian Sinclair and Olivier Langrand

Struik / New Holland

2nd edition

2013

"irds of the Indian Ocean Islands is a comprehensive guide to the bird life of Madagascar, the Seychelles, the Comoros, and the Mascarenes – an area that boasts high levels of endemism. This new, expanded edition is fully updated to reflect taxonomic changes, and now describes and illustrates 502 species. The species accounts cover the birds' appearance, basic behaviour, preferred habitats, geographical distribution and IUCN threat status. The text is complemented by newly designed plates with labels pinpointing key differentiating features. The introduction includes maps for each island, lists the region's 211 endemic species, and gives pointers on where to go bird-watching."

Birds of the Mascarene Islands: A Comprehensive Collection of Endemic, Oceanic, Migratory and Exotic Birds of Mauritius, Rodrigues and Reunion

Narainsamy Ramen

"The Birds of the Mascarene is a fully illustrated identification guide with over 300 photos covering all the rare and endangered species, including endemic, oceanic, migratory and exotic birds of the Mascarene Islands, a group of islands in the Indian Ocean east of Madagascar consisting of Mauritius, Réunion and Rodrigues. One of the main aims of this work is to help to ensure the survival of a precious, but fragile, natural heritage by encouraging a growing appreciation of these beautiful creatures. Some of these birds are under threat and we cannot be sure that they won't one day become extinct. Hopefully, we can learn from the sad fate of the famous Dodo, which has become a symbol of the island of Mauritius where it lived in blissful isolation until the coming of man. The book includes a complete list of the extinct birds of the Mascarenes and much more."

The Birds of Africa, Volume VIII: The Malagasy Region

Editors: Roger Safford, Frank Hawkins

Christopher Helm

2013

"The Birds of Africa series, volumes I–VII, covered the avifauna of continental Africa. This volume fulfils the aspiration, expressed in that series, of a single volume that treats the birds of Madagascar, Seychelles, the Comoros, the Mascarenes and their associated smaller outlying islands – the Malagasy region. It follows The Birds of Africa series in treating each of the 352 regularly occurring species known from the region in detail, through the assembly of a wealth of information, much of it very recent. Distribution, description, identification, general behaviour, feeding and breeding habits are comprehensively covered, by a roster of the key experts on the birds of the region. All 135 vagrant species are also treated, more briefly, and for the first time the distribution of species across the region is presented in a series of detailed and informative maps. Each species is also extensively illustrated, showing variation in plumage across ages, sexes and geographic regions. One plate illustrates species that have recently become extinct in the region, and a separate plate section covers vagrants."

Parrots of Africa, Madagascar and the Mascarene Islands: Biology, Ecology and Conservation

Mike Perrin

2013

"Parrots of Africa, Madagascar and the Mascarene Islands provides complete coverage of all aspects of the biology of extant African, Malagasy and Mascarene parrots, and reviews our knowledge of extinct and fossil parrots from the region. Particular themes include the behavioural and ecological characteristics of parrots, their species characteristics and conservation biology. Current concepts in avian and conservation biology are also discussed. Parrots of Africa, Madagascar and the Mascarene Islands is aimed at ornithologists, conservation biologists, avian ecologists, academics, bird watchers and parrot fans alike. It is well illustrated, with high quality original photographs, and includes distribution maps, figures and tables."

The Lost Land of the Dodo

Anthony Checke

2007

"The Mascarene islands, Mauritius, Reunion and Rodrigues, were once home to an extraordinary range of birds and reptiles. Evolving in the absence of mammalian predators or competitors, amazing forms such as giant tortoises, burrowing boas, flightless owls and herons, giant parrots, and, of course, the Dodo, dominated the land. Colonisation by European settlers led to dramatic changes in the ecology of the islands; the birds and tortoises were slaughtered indiscriminately while introduced pigs and monkeys destroyed their eggs, and the once-extensive forests were logged. A now-familiar emblem of extinction, the Dodo was gone within 60 years of the colonisation of its home, Mauritius, and over the next 150 years most of the Mascarene's other native vertebrates followed suit. The product of a lifetime of research by Anthony Cheke, "Lost Land of the Dodo" provides a comprehensive yet hugely enjoyable account of the story of the islands' ecology. The book is richly illustrated with maps and contemporary illustrations of the animals and plants, many of which have not been reproduced for hundreds of years….while Julian Hume's superb colour plates bring many of the extinct birds to life."

A Photographic Guide to the Birds of the Indian Ocean Islands: Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles, Réunion and the Comoros

Ian Sinclair, Olivier Langrand, Fanja Andriamialisoa

2006

"This photographic guide depicts a selection of the most commonly encountered and striking bird species of Madagascar, the Seychelles, the Comoros, and the Mascarenes - a region boasting high levels of endemism. Each species account includes a colour photo, a distribution map, and a description of appearance, behaviour, habitats and geographic distribution."

Birds of the Indian Ocean Islands: Madagascar, Mauritius, Réunion, Rodrigues, Seychelles and the Comoros

Ian Sinclair and Olivier Langrand

2004

"Birds of the Indian Ocean Islands is the first comprehensive guide to the bird life of a region that embraces Madagascar, the Seychelles group, and the Comoros and the Mascarenes (comprising Mauritius, Reunion and Rodrigues). Together, these magical islands and the warm waters of the surrounding ocean host a total of 359 regularly encountered species, many of them endemic to the area, and all of them fully described here in clear, concise text. The species entries, which are accompanied by up-to-date distribution maps, highlight identification features, preferred habitats, current status, and vocalization. Each species is beautifully illustrated to show plumage details. A special chapter discusses the practicalities of birding in the region's main locations. The plates, of which there are 71, have been superbly researched and executed by Norman Arlott, Hillary Burn, Peter Hayman and Ian Lewington - among the world's leading bird artists."

Birds of the Indian Ocean Islands: Madagascar, Mauritius, Réunion, Rodrigues, Seychelles and the Comoros

Ian Sinclair and Olivier Langrand

1998

"Following in the format of Sasol Birds of Southern Africa, this guide presents all the birds of Madagascar and the other Indian Ocean islands (Seychelles, Reunion, Mauritius and Mascarenes), a great many species of which are endemic to these islands. In field guide form, this text presents concise descriptions of each species, highlighting diagnostic features for ease of identification. Differences between sexes and plumages are discussed as well as the status of the bird, its habitat and call. Distribution maps accompany each entry. The birds are illustrated in full colour and where necessary are depicted in all plumages relevant to identification (male, female and immature). In-flight illustrations present the bird from above and below, providing comprehensive coverage of the birds in the field."

Birds of Mauritius

Claude Michel

New edition

1996

60 page book describing 45 species with colour photographs of 20 species.

A Birders Guide to Mauritius and Reunion: (With Seabirds Of Western Indian Ocean)

Dave Sargeant

A 14 page site guide plus checklists.

Studies of Mascarene Island Birds

Editor: Anthony William Diamond

1987 (reprint 2009)

"First published in 1987, this volume presents the scientific results of an expedition, promoted by the British Ornithologists' Union, to study the endangered birds of the Mascarene Islands in the Indian Ocean. This group of islands is of unique importance to bird conservation and is perhaps best known as the last home of the famous dodo. Thirty endemic species of birds are already extinct and the populations of several others are now so small as to be of doubtful validity. The data presented here will enable the appropriate government departments and conservation bodies to proceed on the basis of a sound knowledge of the needs of the threatened birds, and it is hoped that the survival of at least a proportion of the unique wildlife of this island group can be ensured. Studies of Mascarene Island Birds will also provide the keen amateur ornithologist with a serious interest in conservation with a direct appreciation of field work aimed at protecting rate species in their natural habitat."

Birds of Mauritius

Claude Michel

1986

New edition in 1996.

Birds of the Mascarenes and Saint Brandon

France Staub

1976

The Dodo And Its Kindred

Or, The History, Affinities, And Osteology Of The Dodo, Solitaire, And Other Extinct Birds Of The Islands Mauritius, Rodriguez And Bourbon

H.R. Strickland and A.G. Melville

Reeve, Benham And Reeve

1848

From the introduction:

"Among the many remarkable results connected with Organic Life which modern Science has elicited, the chronological succession of distinct races of beings is one of the most interesting. Geology exhibits to us the vast diversity of organized forms which have supplanted one another throughout the world's history, and in dealing with this remarkable fact, we are led to search out the causes for these exits and entrances of successive actors on the stage of Nature. It appears, indeed, highly probable that Death is a law of Nature in the Species as well as in the Individual; but this internal tendency to extinction is in both cases unable to be anticipated by violent or accidental causes. Numerous external agents have affected the distribution of organic life at various periods, and one of these has operated exclusively during the existing epoch, viz. the agency of Man, an influence peculiar in its effects, and which is made known to us by testimony as well as by inference. The object of the present treatise is to exhibit some remarkable examples of the extinction of several ornithic species, constituting an entire sub-family, through Human agency, and under circumstances of peculiar interest."