- Bird Families of the World is a multivolume series of handbooks, intended to serve the interests of both the professional scientist and the ever-growing body of amateur ornithologists. Each volume provides a comprehensive and accurate synthesis of our knowledge of one bird family or several related families.

- Ten general chapters on the biology, feeding ecology, breeding behaviour, evolutionary relationships, and conservation of the birds in the family

- 9 specially commissioned colour plates by H. D. Pratt, showing adults of all species and many juveniles, immatures and subspecies

- 164 black-and-white drawings illustrating special features and behaviour

- Descriptions of each species individually, including appearance, weights, and measurements; field characters; voice; habitat and food; breeding behaviour; life cycle; and range and status (with distribution map). This provides the most comprehensive and up-to-date species-level information available

- Full bibliography and index

The Hawaiian Honeycreepers are typified by nectar feeding, their bright colouration, and canary-like songs. They are considered one of the finest examples of adaptive radiation, even more diverse than Darwin's Galapagos finches, as a wide array of different species has evolved in all the different niches provided by the Hawaiian archipelago. The book will therefore be of interest to evolutionary biologists and ecologists, as well as professional ornithologists and amateur bird watchers. As with the other books in the Bird Family of the World series, the work is divided into two main sections. Part I is an overview of the Hawaiian Honeycreeper evolution and natural history and Part II comprises accounts of each species. The author has produced his own outstanding illustrations of these birds to accompany his text.