What an Owl Knows
The New Science of the World's Most Enigmatic Birds
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- £9.99
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- £9.99
Publisher Description
‘And if anyone knows anything about anything… it's Owl who knows something about something.’ Winnie-the-Pooh, A. A. Milne
From prehistoric cave paintings to the prints and etchings of Picasso, owls have captivated and inspired us for millennia.
Whether they appear as ancient Athenian symbols of wisdom, ghostly harbingers of death, or the cuddly sidekicks of Harry Potter and Winnie the Pooh, these birds have continued to fascinate and disturb us in equal measure.
Through revelatory new behavioural research, Jennifer Ackerman provides an intimate glimpse into these magnificent creatures’ lives. From the evolutionary quirks behind their silent flight and rotating heads, to their romantic relationships and parenting styles, What an Owl Knows brings the rich natural history of owls to life. Deftly weaving together science and art, Ackerman journeys into the owl’s moonlit world and asks: what is it about these birds that so enthrals us?
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*THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER*
A TIMES AND ECONOMIST BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023
'Fascinating… we often hear a barn owl hooting in a stand of pine trees behind the house. It’s an eerie, mysterious sound that never fails to enchant. And it is this enchantment that is at the core of this charming, deeply researched book.' GUARDIAN
'Once again, Jennifer Ackerman has written a fascinating, fact-filled and wonderfully readable work of popular science – this time on one of the most mysterious and charismatic of all bird families: the owls.' STEPHEN MOSS
‘Ackerman’s love for these birds is totally infectious… Long may they continue to fly through the darkness.’ DAILY MAIL
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this masterful survey, nature writer Ackerman (The Bird Way) explores the physiology and behavior of owls. She provides an overview of owls' intelligence, evolution, mating strategies, nest-building abilities, and communication skills, relating how variations in owl calls allow the birds to express "their needs and desires" and convey "highly specific information about their individual identity, and their sex, size, weight, and state of mind." Describing academic studies that illuminate the surprising social complexity of the nocturnal predators, Ackerman writes that nestling barn owls will altruistically share food with weaker siblings, and that screech owls sometimes engage in cannibalism, killing and eating fellow fledglings. The author highlights the heterogeneity of owl species, noting that they're found on every continent but Antarctica and that while the Eurasian eagle owl is big enough to prey on baby deer, the tiny elf owl is only "about the size of a small pine cone." There's fascinating trivia on every page (owls perform "sophisticated mathematical computations" to pinpoint prey by sound, and some owl attacks on humans may be attempts to play), making for a revelatory glimpse into the lives of the "enigmatic" raptors. Bird lovers will be enthralled. Photos.
