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Oceania / Australasia

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

Oceania / Australasia Countries and Islands

American Samoa
Australia
Bougainville
Christmas Island
Fiji
Guam
Hawaii
New Caledonia
New Guinea
New Zealand
Norfolk Island
Northern Mariana Islands
Palau
Samoa
Solomon Islands
Tonga
Tuvalu
Vanuatu

Pacific

Pacific

Series

Handbook of Australian, New Zealand, and Antarctic Birds

Birds of Eastern Polynesia: A Biogeographic Atlas

Jean-Claude Thibault, Alice Cibois

2017

"Birds of Eastern Polynesia is the first biogeographic Atlas covering all of the birds of one of the largest areas of Oceania. The book treats all of the 241 species, including extinct birds, ever recorded on the Line Islands, the Cook, Austral, Society, Marquesas, Tuamotu and Gambier archipelagos, the Pitcairn Group, and the Eastern Is. Group. Their distribution over the 151 islands of the region is detailed in 142 maps. The species accounts include systematics, a detailed morphometric or genetic analysis when it is available, and data on distribution, population size and trends, habitat and breeding. All species recorded in Eastern Polynesia are illustrated in colour, except those only known by bone records. Birds of Eastern Polynesia represents an original and much needed ornithological synthesis of all the available literature on Eastern Polynesian birds, including many difficult-to-find reports, as well as unpublished data gathered from local ornithologists and biologists. It also contains new data collected by the authors during numerous fieldtrips in Eastern Polynesia and during visits to museum collections. This work presents a complete overview of this vast oceanic region for anyone with an interest in the biology, biogeography and conservation of the birds of the Pacific islands."

Australasian Eagles and Eagle-Like Birds

Stephen Debus

2017

"An illustrated record of sea-eagles, harpy eagles, booted eagles and eagle-like hawks in Australasia.Eagles are awe-inspiring birds that have influenced much human endeavour. Australia is home to three eagle species, and in Melanesia there are four additional endemic species. A further three large Australian hawks are eagle-like. Eagles, being at the top of the food chain, are sensitive ecological barometers of human impact on the Earth's ecosystem services, and all of the six Australian species covered in this book are threatened in at least some states (one also nationally). Three of the four Melanesian tropical forest endemics are threatened or near-threatened.In Australasian Eagles and Eagle-like Birds, Dr Stephen Debus provides a 25-year update of knowledge on these 10 species as a supplement to the Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds (HANZAB) and recent global treatises, based partly on his own field studies. Included are the first nest or prey records for some Melanesian species. This book places the Australasian species in their regional and global context, reviews their population status and threats, provides new information on their ecology, and suggests what needs to be done in order to ensure the future of these magnificent birds."

Birds of the Indonesian Archipelago: Greater Sundas and Wallacea

James A. Eaton, Bas van Balen, Nick W. Brickle, Frank E. Rheindt

2016

"The first ornithological field guide covering the vast chain of the Indonesian archipelago, with over 2,500 illustrations, describes all 1,417 bird species known to occur in the region, including 601 endemics, 98 vagrants, eight introduced species and 18 species yet to be formally described. Together these represent over 13% of global bird diversity. In addition, all subspecies from the region are described. The guide fully encompasses the biogeographic regions of the Greater Sundas (Sumatra, Borneo, Java and Bali) and Wallacea (Sulawesi, the Moluccas and the Lesser Sundas), plus all satellite islands. This region spans an arc of over 4,000 km along the Equator, including Brunei, East Timor, the Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak and most of the territory of the Republic of Indonesia. The authors’ vast experience and knowledge of the region’s birds brings together the latest taxonomic insights, knowledge of distribution, field identification features, vocalisations and more to create an indispensable reference for anyone with an interest in the avifauna of this fabulously diverse region."

Birds of Melanesia: Bismarcks, Solomons, Vanuatu and New Caledonia

Guy Dutson

Princeton University Press

2012

"Melanesia harbors an amazing range of endemic bird species and subspecies, many of which are poorly known. Birds of Melanesia is the first comprehensive field guide to all 501 species found in the Bismarck Archipelago, Bougainville, the Solomons, Vanuatu, and New Caledonia. This beautifully illustrated guide features 86 color plates that depict almost every species - including many endemic subspecies - and many of the plates are arranged by island group for easy reference. Detailed species accounts describe key identification features and distribution, as well as key features for all subspecies. Distribution bars are also given for all species except extreme vagrants."

Birds of Melanesia: Bismarcks, Solomons, Vanuatu and New Caledonia

Guy Dutson

Christopher Helm

2011

"This new Helm Field Guide covers the species-rich Melanesia region of the south-west Pacific, from New Caledonia and the Solomons through the Bismarcks to Vanuatu, an increasingly popular destination for tours and travellers and one that has never before had complete field-guide coverage. The cover star is the Kagu, the region's most iconic bird species and a highly sought-after endemic of New Caledonia. Superb colour plates illustrate the 650 species that occur in the region, allied with concise identification text and a series of distribution colour bars. For anyone travelling to this far-flung Pacific region, this book is indispensable."

Birds of New Zealand, Hawaii, Central and West Pacific

Ber Van Perlo

Harper Collins

2011

"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."

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 above)

"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."

Extinction and Biogeography of Tropical Pacific Birds

David W. Steadman

2006

"Reconstructing the avian world in the same way archeologists re-create ancient human societies, David W. Steadman - a leading authority on tropical Pacific avian paleontology - has spent the past two decades in the field, digging through layers of soil in search of the bones that serve as clues to the ancient past of island bird communities. His years of indefatigable research and analysis are the foundation for "Extinction and Biogeography of Tropical Pacific Birds," a monumental study of the landbirds of tropical Pacific islands - especially those from Fiji eastward to Easter Island - and an intricate history of the patterns and processes of island biology over time. Using information gleaned from prehistoric specimens, Steadman reconstructs the birdlife of tropical Pacific islands as it existed before the arrival of humans and in so doing corrects the assumption that small, remote islands were unable to support rich assemblages of plants and animals. Easter Island, for example, though devoid of wildlife today, was the world's richest seabird habitat before Polynesians arrived more than a millennium ago. Grounded in geology, paleontology, and archaeology, but biological at its core, "Extinction and Biogeography of Tropical Pacific Birds" is an exceptional work of unparalleled scholarship that will stimulate creative discussions of terrestrial life on oceanic islands for years to come."

The Birds of Northern Melanesia: Speciation, Dispersal and Biogeography

Ernst Mayr & Jared M. Diamond

2002

"Ernst Mayr is one of the principal architects of the 'neo-Darwinian synthesis', which has been the dominant perspective in 20th century evolutionary biology. Jared Diamond is one of the most wide-ranging minds in biology, and winner of the Pulitzer Prize for "Guns, Germs, and Steel". Mayr and Diamond decided in 1970 to collaborate on an authoritative monograph presenting their data and interpretations of the evolution of the birds of the Solomon and Bismark Islands. Mayr's numerous expeditions to do fieldwork in this area, beginning in 1929 and continuing through 1976, form the core of his scientific work. Diamond has made four expeditions to the region since 1970 to fill in gaps in the data."

Contents: Introduction; Part 1: Northern Melanesia's Physical and Biological Environment; Geology and Geological History; Climate; Habitats and Vegetation; Terrestrial Vertebrates Other Than Birds; Part 2: Human History and Impacts; Human History; Ornithological Exploration of Northern Melanesia; Exterminations of Bird Populations; Part 3: The Northern Melanesian Avifauna; Family Composition; Determinants of Island Species Number; Level of Endemism, Habitat Preference, and Abundance of Each Species; Overwater Dispersal Ability of Each Species; Distributional Ecology; Part 4: Colonization Routes; Proximate Origins of Northern Melanesian Populations; Upstream Colonization and Fuanal Dominance; Ultimate Origins of Northern Melanesian Populations; Part 5: Taxonomic Analysis: Differences Among Species; The Problem of Speciation; Stages of Geographical Speciation Among the Birds of Northern Melanesia; Absence of Geographic Variation; Geographic Variation: Subspecies; Geographic Variation: Megasubspecies; Geographic Variation: Allospecies; Completed Speciation; Hybridization; Endemic Species and Genera; Part 6: Geographic Analysis: Differences Among Islands; Endemism Index; Pairwise Differentiation Index; Pairwise Nonsharing Indices: Differences in Island Species Compositions; The Establishment of Geographic Isolates; Interarchipelagal Barriers; Barriers Within the Bismarcks; Barriers Within the Solomons; Speciation on Fragmented Solomon Islands; Differential Extinction and Species Occurrences on Fragmented Pleistocene Islands; Part 7: Synthesis, Conclusions, and Prospects; Conclusions about Speciation; Species Differences, Taxon Cycles, and the Evolution of Dispersal; Promising Directions for Future Research; Maps; Appendices; Appendix 1: Systematic List: Breeding Land and Freshwater Native Birds of Northern Melanesia; Appendix 2: Nonbreeding Visitors to Northern Melanesia; Appendix 3: Introduced Bird Species in Northern Melanesia; Appendix 4: Chronologies of Ornithological Exploration; Appendix 5: Attributes of Each Bird Species; Appendix 6: Evidence of Overwater Dispersal Ability of Each Species and Allospecies in the Bismarcks and Solomons; Appendix 7: Distributions and Origins of Northern Melanesian Bird Populations; References; Index.

A Guide to the Birds of Fiji and Western Polynesia: including American Samoa, Niue, Samoa, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu and Wallis and Futuna

Dick Watling

Environmental Consultants (Fiji) Ltd

2nd edition

2001

"This is a completely revised and reformatted edition of the widely acclaimed "Birds of Fiji, Tonga and Samoa" written by the same author in 1982, and now out-of-print. It contains detailed species accounts for the 173 species with confirmed records in the region and notes on a further 22 species with unconfirmed records. Every breeding bird and regular migrant is illustrated on 16 colour plates and the guide has a detailed distributional coverage of the region's birds and an up-to-date checklist for each of the countries covered. It discusses conservation, with the current status of the region's avifauna, past and present threats, and priority conservation needs."

Birds of the Solomons, Vanuatu and New Caledonia

Chris Doughty, Nicolas Day and Andrew Plant

Christopher Helm

1999

"Situated in the Southwest Pacific, this region boasts a colourful and intriguing range of birds. Of the 362 species covered, 117 are endemics. The colour plates in this guide which is primarily intended for field use depict every species, showing plumages, races and colour morphs, and there are 340 colour distribution maps. The facing-page layout, with colour plates opposite the relevant species descriptions, makes at-a-glance reference easy for anyone interested in the birdlife of the Pacific."

Sea Birds and others of the Great Barrier Reef, Australasia, South Pacific and Indian Ocean

Neville Coleman

1997

A Guide to the Birds of Wallacea: Sulawesi, The Moluccas and Lesser Sunda Islands, Indonesia

Brian J. Coates, K.D. Bishop

Dove Publications

1997

"A major guide to the birds of the region. The avifauna of this region is a fascinating mix of Asian and Australasian elements but, more importantly, it hosts an extraordinary high number of 249 endemic bird species. This book treats and illustrates all of the 697 species of birds reliably recorded in Wallacea up to July 1996. Intended to serve as both an identification guide and reference the book has two main sections: an identification section comprising the plates and a detailed plate caption text, and a family and species account section that provides detailed information on distribution, abundance, ecology, habits and voice."

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."

The Birds of Wallacea (Sulawesi, The Moluccas and Lesser Sunda Islands, Indonesia): An Annotated Checklist

C.M.N. White and M.D. Bruce

1986

A detailed account of the 676 species recorded in this group of island. Accounts include local names, historical records and present distribution and status.

Birds of Fiji, Tonga and Samoa

Dick Watling

1982

New edition published in 2001 as A Guide to the Birds of Fiji and Western Polynesia: including American Samoa, Niue, Samoa, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu and Wallis and Futuna.

Birds of the South West Pacific

Ernst Mayr

1978

Reprint of work originally published in 1945.

South Pacific Birds

John DuPont

1976

Birds of the South West Pacific

Ernst Mayr

1968

Reprint of work originally published in 1945.

Sea Birds Of The South Pacific Ocean

P.P.O. Harrison

1962

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

Birds of the Central Pacific Ocean

Thomas M. Blackman

1944