Describes 211 species that are believed to have become extinct since 1570 and discusses their probable causes of extinction.

Describes 211 species that are believed to have become extinct since 1570 and discusses their probable causes of extinction.

The 1994 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals was a major advance on its predecessors in clarity of layout and amount of information presented. This is taken further in the 1996 edition, which is also the first global compilation to use the complete new IUCN Red List category system.

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 Small enough to be carried afield, it contains much previously unpublished information about behavior, vocalizations, ecology, and distribution.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.

"Since the disappearance of the last dodo some 280 years ago, over 130 species and subspecies of birds have completely disappeared or have become seriously threatened with extinction. The passenger pigeon, Labrador duck, great auk, the nearly extinct ivory-billed woodpecker and whooping crane are but a few of the many varieties of parrot, owl, thrush, honeycreeper, duck, sparrow, etc., which have been wiped out, usually due to man's interference. Greenway's book is the first up-to-date, comprehensive survey of extinct and vanishing birds, and, as such, it serves as a strong warning about steps which must be taken to prevent the total disappearance of the threatened species. He begins with an area-by-area survey of important lost and disappearing birds, carefully noting all possible causes for their disappearance. Then, each species and subspecies is discussed individually, with detailed information on nomenclature, last sightings, range, description, habits, and similar material." --Back cover.

Hawaii is known throughout the world for its uniquely hospitable climate and people. Because of its geographical isolation and tropical-subtropical location, it harbors numerous animals that are unknown elsewhere in the United States. Unfortunately, Hawaii is special in another respect: it is the endangered species capital of the world. Many of its birds are in jeopardy of extinction. This book, the first to portray a tropical seabird community, treats the 22 species of seabirds of the Hawaiian archipelago from a conservationist point of view. Craig S. Harrison first establishes the setting, describing Hawaii's birth from undersea volcanoes, its marine biology, and the effects of Polynesians and Westerners on its pristine island ecosystem. He summarizes current knowledge of albatrosses, shearwaters, petrels, frigatebirds, boobies, tropicbirds, terns, and noddies, explaining their similarities and differences with respect to nesting, food habits, migration at sea, and adaptation to a tropical environment.