Copyright 2009-2024. All Rights Reserved.
A Field Guide to the Birds of Hawaii and the Tropical PacificPRATT, H. D., P. L. Bruner, and D. G. Berrett. 1987. A field guide to the birds of
The pioneering Field Guide to the Birds of Hawaii and the Tropical Pacific was the first comprehensive guide to the birds of the tropical Pacific. It was the first to illustrate and describe the vocalizations of many island endemics, and brought together much previously unpublished information on taxonomy, behavior, ecology, status, and conservation gathered over 12 years of ornithological exploration. Originally conceived as a field guide only, this book has far exceeded the normal influence of such publications and become a standard ornithological reference in the region, and is cited in nearly every scientific paper on tropical Pacific birds. It has played a seminal role in increasing awareness of birds of the vast Pacific region among island residents, birders, and researchers. Roger Tory Peterson himself acknowledged that this book has become the “Peterson guide” of the Pacific, and, like the original Peterson series which many believe helped ignite the environmental movement in North America by making nature accessible to the layman, it has served to inspire and inform conservationists in the region. The book remains in print today, but is no longer advertised, and after 25 years of service, is long overdue for an update. For information about progress on the successor to this book, click here.
View the Artwork
More information about this book at Amazon.com
More information about this book at the Princeton University Press website
The Hawaiian HoneycreepersPRATT, H. D. 2005. The Hawaiian honeycreepers: Drepanidinae. Bird Families of the World.
I consider this book the most important thing I have ever done as a scientist. Unfortunately, Oxford’s pricing policy, and their stinginess with review copies and advertising, has meant that worldwide sales have been disappointing.
View the Artwork
More information about this book at Amazon.com
More information about this book at the Oxford University Press website
Review of "The Hawaiian Honeycreepers"
Handbook of the Birds of the World - Volumes 5, 6 , 8 10, 11, 13, & 15COHN-HAFT, M. 1999. Family Nyctibiidae (Potoos). Pp. 288-301, [1 color plate], SCHUCHMANN, K. L. 1999. Family Trochilidae (Hummingbirds). Pp. 468-680 [2 color plates] in del Hoyo, J. Elliott, A. & Sargatal, J. eds. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Vol. 5. Barn-owls to Hummingbirds. Lynx Edicions,
COLLAR, N. J. 2005. [Bluebirds and solitaires]. pp. 514-807. [1 color plate.],
HIGGINS, P. 2008. Genus Myzomela. [4 color plates], VAN BALEN, S. 2008. Family Zosteropidae (White-eyes). [6 color plates.], In del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A. & Christie, D. A., eds. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Vol. 13. Lynx Edicions,
PRATT, H. D. 2010. Family Drepanididae (Hawaiian honeycreepers). Pp. 618-659 in del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A. & Christie, D. A., eds. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Vol. 15. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona.
Many years ago after the first couple of volumes of this massive work had been published, I wrote to the editors asking whether I might get in on some of the illustrating (I was freelancing in those days). I was surprised to receive one of those “funny you should ask” letters that said I had been one of a short list of artists originally considered for the project, but that they had decided to use only European illustrators because of problems with shipping the originals. But they decided to offer me (and eventually some other Americans such as Al Gilbert) some work anyway, and my first plates appeared in Volume 5 (Potoos and two hummingbirds). Since then I have had some work in most (but not all) volumes, including both text and illustrations for the chapter on Hawaiian honeycreepers in Volume 15. That may be my last contribution to what will be a fundamental reference for years to come. These bulky volumes eventually became available online as "HBW Alive!", and have now (2019) been incorporated into the new Birds of the World, which combines HBW with the American Ornithological Society's Birds of North America, the Internet Bird Collection, and the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology..
View the Artwork
More information about this series at the Lynx Nature Books website
National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North AmericaNATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY. 2007, 2002, 1999, 1987, 1983. Field guide to the birds of North America. National Geographic Society,
This is the book that made my name as a bird illustrator. When George Watson of the Smithsonian, father of the NGS guide, presented the idea to me, I was not much impressed because I thought that it would be an example of something put together by a committee and would not have the gravitas of the other guides at the time. I was wrong. When first planned, the book was to have two illustrators, me and Guy Tudor. After a year of planning and deliberating, Guy dropped out of the project for reasons of his own. To recoup lost time, NGS replaced him with two artists, Don Malick and Jon Janosik. Progress on the book continued to be slower than expected, and rather than push their deadline back, NGS kept adding artists to the team. In the long run, I still ended up with about a quarter of the plates in the first (1983) edition, and a few more in the second (1987), and most of them survive in the latest version. In the more recent editions, for reasons known only to NGS, some of my birds have been replaced by ones painted by other artists that are not, in my opinion, any improvement. Why they did not get back to the original artists for such replacements is a mystery to me. Still, it is an honor to have played such a large part in what became the most popular North American field guide.
More information about this book at Amazon.com
Peterson Field Guides' Birds of Eastern and Central North AmericaPETERSON, R. T., AND V. M. PETERSON. 2002. A Field Guide to the Birds of Eastern and Central
Roger Tory Peterson is probably more responsible than anyone else for the direction my life has taken. His books were among my first influences as a child, and he became something of a hero. The section on Hawaiian birds in his 1961 Field Guide to Western Birds had a lot to do with my future interest in Hawaii. So when his widow called me to ask if I would complete the last plate for the posthumous edition of his famous field guide, I was overwhelmed. The birds I did were all rather drab accidentals, but I was delighted to do them. These paintings have been dropped in the most recent iterations of the Peterson field guides, but I am still the only artist other than the great man himself to have bird paintings in one of his guides. It is a deeply gratifying honor.
View the Artwork
LSU Today article about Doug's contribution to this book
Baton Rouge Advocate article about Doug's contribution to this book
Birds & Bats of PalauA few years ago I made the acquaintance via email of Mandy Etpison, a Dutch expat who married into a prominent Palauan family. She is a fantastic wildlife photographer who made her name shooting mostly underwater subjects. But she also photographs terrestrial organisms, especially birds. When she first started, she would often send me images to identify because she was new to birds. Now, she has become an authority and she and I share the honor of serving on the Palau Bird Records Committee. This book includes much information I had been accumulating since the 1987 field guide (above) and new information on plumages of several species revealed by Mandy's photographs.
A Pocket Guide to Hawaii's WildlifePRATT, H. D. 2014. Pocket guide to
PRATT, H. D., and J. C. Jeffrey. 2013. Pocket guide to
PRATT, H. D. 1999. Pocket guide to
These little books, designed to fit easily into a backpack or pocket, have been consistent best sellers in Hawaii. The trees/shrubs title is in need of an update, but remains the most complete photo guide to Hawaiian woody plants available. The wildlife guide covers birds, but its main focus is on other vertebrates such as mammals, reptiles, and amphibians. I am contemplating a pocket wildflower guide if I ever get to it.
More information about A Pocket Guide to Hawaii's Wildlife at Amazon.com
More information about A Pocket Guide to Hawaii's Wildlife at MutualPublishing.com
More information about A Pocket Guide to Hawaii's Birds and their Habitats at Amazon.com
More information about A Pocket Guide to Hawaii's Birds and their Habitats at MutualPublishing.com
More information about A Pocket Guide to Hawaii's Trees and Shrubs at Amazon.com
More information about A Pocket Guide to Hawaii's Trees and Shrubs at MutualPublishing.com
The Mammals of Louisiana and its Adjacent WatersLOWERY, G. H., JR. 1974. The mammals of
When I first went to LSU as a grad student, my major professor Dr. George H. Lowery was starting work on this book. At a seminar, he asked offhand whether John O’Neill, Jon Janosik, or I (all bird illustrators resident at the time) knew of anyone who could illustrate mammals. I had never done a mammal, but thought it couldn’t be that different from birds. So I did a few trial paintings, based on published photographs, and showed them to Lowery. He showed them to the Wildlife Commission, and they offered me the job of illustrating the book! It turned out to be a clinic in wildlife illustration because of the variety of drawings and paintings required, and became my first illustrated book. After this, my bird paintings were suddenly much better because of the techniques I had learned. Some of the mammal illustrations look a bit dated now, but I am not embarrassed by any of them.
View the Artwork
Birding on Borrowed TimeSNETSINGER, P. 2003. Birding on Borrowed Time. American Birding Association, Colorado Springs, CO. [46 color and b/w bird portraits.]
I met the legendary Phoebe Snetsinger when she joined a tour I led in Micronesia. Of all the participants, she was the only one to see all of the endemics. Later, I met and worked with her son Tom, who was a USFWS ornithologist working in Hawaii. After Phoebe’s tragic death, Tom told me that the family had discovered a journal she had secretly kept during her quest to see more birds of the world than anyone had before. He sent me the ms, and asked if it was publishable and, if so, would I illustrate it. Phoebe’s journal turned out to be a great read. She was a naturally gifted writer, and it needed very little editing. I assisted the family in contacting the American Birding Association, and the result is this book. I was excited to do this project because it gave me the chance to draw and paint some of the world’s most interesting birds. We decided to show the birds that Phoebe wrote something about (other than just reporting she saw it) plus those that were milestones such as her 100th, 2000th, etc. So it is an interesting mix of avian subjects and was a lot of fun to do.
View the Artwork
More information about this book at Amazon.com
