Birds of Hawaii is a concise guide to Hawaiian birdwatching. The book is divided into three sections: "Native Birds", "Stray Variants to the Hawaiian Islands" and "Imported Birds." Each bird is identified by its scientific name, its common name(or names), and in the case of native birds, by its Hawaiian name. These designations are followed by a description of the bird's essential characteristics, its habitat, its distinctive song or cry, and its habits. The descriptions are enhanced by vivid details from the author's own experience in observing his subjects. Twenty plates in full color, comprising illustrations of more than 150 different species of birds, together with a selection of black and white photographs, provide the reader with an easy means for identification of the birds described.

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 Small enough to be carried afield, it contains much previously unpublished information about behavior, vocalizations, ecology, and distribution.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