Customer Reviews

The Birds of Kaua`I (Latitude 20 Books)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Jim Denny's excellent photographs complement his excellent text. The book is neither a field guide (for that, use Douglas Pratt's Field Guide to the Birds of Hawai'i and the Tropical Pacific) nor is it a site guide (use Pratt or Sohren for that), but something else: an accurate and fascinating review of the birds of the island and how they fit into the marvelous land. Bits of interesting history are interwoven with the descriptions, and Denny's relation of the tragedy of the lost birds of Kaua'i can make you weep. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has or will look for birds on this remarkable island. My one complaint is that the paintings Denny chose to illustrate those birds he could not photograph are not the most accurate depictions available, though they are of historical interest.

This book is essential for anyone planning to visit this beautiful island, and if you have no plans to go there... look through this wonderful guide, and you may change your mind! The glossy pages are filled with photos of the most illusive and rare birds of Kaua'I. These colorful creatures are found nowhere else on earth. They are photographed in their native surroundings, which are as unique and bold as the birds themselves. Jim Denny did a wonderful job describing each species in detail. Wonderful photos, great reading! I highly recommend this book for lovers of birds, and lovers of beauty. Thumbs up!

This book has color photos. A few copies were mistakenly printed in black and white. The error has been detected by the publisher and the faulty copies have been recalled. If you have already purchased a book that does not have color photos, please contact the editor at the UH Press for a replacement: kleber@hawaii.edu

Thanks,
Jim Denny, Author

I highly reccomend this book to all readers, bird-lovers and fans of literature. Jim astounds you with his detailed descriptions and marvelous photos.

I have never seen a book this good about birds from the Islands

I assumed the pictures would be in color, my mistake. The black and white pictures of the birds are difficult to see (way too dark)to be able to identify them.

Basics: softcover; 71 color photos and 5 color illustrations of 65 species (17 endemic, 21 native and 27 alien); 14 color photos of habitats and scenery; text covers behavior, habitat, and natural history of each bird but no identification material

This book is not a field guide; or, at least not a complete one since it (a) focuses on only the resident and more commonly occurring species and (b) provides only the simplest of descriptions of the bird, if any. Instead, this book is more of a brief natural history overview of 65 (74%) of the birds on Kauai's checklist that is supplemented with nice photos for some of the birds and for some of the plumages. For those interested, a complete checklist is found at the end of the book. Of the 17 endemic birds covered in the book, 12 are shown with a good color photograph. The other five species are extinct and are shown with a single color illustration.

Each of the photos shows the bird quite nicely. Most birds are shown with only a single photo of the adult. A few of the birds also have the female displayed. Even though not all plumages are portrayed, the photos should be sufficient to identify most of the birds that are seen by the casual birder. However, there are many other seasonal and age plumages of the migrant shorebirds, terns, and gulls or, of the immature native birds that are not shown in this book.

The text consists of a brief paragraph for each bird. The focus of the material is to outline the natural history of the bird. General information is given on the habitats in which the bird lives, its status or population strength, and its feeding behavior. Other historical notes are typically included about when the bird was introduced to the islands or, for the endemic birds, the circumstances that lead to the demise of their population or even to their extinction.

If any information is given on the description of the bird, it is typically rather generic and not detailed as found in typical field guides. As noted above, the focus of this book is not for identifying the birds, but for reading about them while being shown a photo.

For anyone who appreciates a little more information on the birds of Hawaii, this book will be appreciated for its nice photos and brief overview. It's a nice, simple reference with good photos. - (written by Jack at Avian Review / Avian Books, December 2009)

I've listed several related books below...
1) A Photographic Guide to the Birds of Hawaii by Denny
2) A Field Guide to the Birds of Hawaii and the Tropical Pacific by Pratt
3) Hawaii's Birds by Hawaii Audubon Society
4) Hawaii's Beautiful Birds by Pratt
5) A Pocket Guide to Hawaii's Birds by Pratt
6) Hawaiian Birds of the Sea: N Manu Kai by Schallenberger
7) The Birdwatcher's Guide to Hawai'i by Soehren
8) Enjoying Birds and Other Wildlife in Hawaii by Pratt
9) The Hawaiian Honeycreepers: Drepanidinae by Pratt
10) Images of Natural Hawaii by Walther

We made our first birding trip to Kauai and purchased, "the Birds of Kauai", on island. We found it entertaining, easy-to-follow and a good supplement to Jim Denny's, "A photographic Guide to the Birds of Hawaii", and H.Douglas Pratt's, "The Birds of Hawaii and the Tropical Pacific". We would like to see individual books on the birds of; Maui, Hawaii, and Oahu.

Didn't realize that the book was without color; I was disappointed. The best book for the purpose of identifying Hawaiian birds is Hawaiian Audubon Society's publication on the subject.

Very informative, but color pictures would have made it better. It's difficult to match a black and white picture with a colorful bird.