This special book-format issue of Birds New Zealands journal Notornis is devoted to the birds of the Auckland Islands Maukahuka/Motu Maha, the largest and biologically most diverse island group in the New Zealand subantarctic region. Its 19 chapters, written by leading ornithologists, cover a wide range of topics, including the history of ornithological discovery, biogeography, the impacts of introduced mammals and people, prehistoric bird communities based on bone assemblages, and population, ecological and genetic studies of several of the endemic or otherwise notable birds of the island group including Auckland Island snipe, white-headed petrel, and several albatross species.

Revised and expanded to include up-to-date information, this new edition describes the Chatham Islands with emphasis on their geology, flora, fauna, habitats, and extinct and endangered species on land, in freshwater, and in the sea. Beginning with an introduction to the human history of the islands, this guide enumerates the many reserves and covenants that have been established to protect and conserve the islands' heritage. The nonscientific approach makes this an easily accessible, comprehensive overview of the islands supplemented by beautiful color photography. Visitors, residents, conservationists, and scientists will find this a practical guide to the natural habitat of the Chatham Islands.