The superlative identification guide to 268 species of owl, now in paperback.
Praise for the first edition:
"A native of Finland, the author is the world's best-known owl expert, having visited the birds in 128 countries over the past 40 years. Here he describes all of the world's 249 species of owls in copious detail with tips on identification, habitat, calls, and status and distribution. The text is enhanced by 750 color photographs from leading wildlife photographers. A spectacular book."
--Library Journal, Best Reference 2012
"Owl enthusiasts will recognize Owls of the World as an important new reference work written by a world authority. Highly recommended."
--Wildlife Afield Journal, Biodiversity Centre for Wildlife Studies
"[An] important book. Recommended for most libraries -- good value and quality for the price."
--Booklist
Owls of the World, second edition, is the ultimate photographic resource dedicated to the identification of these charismatic birds of prey. It is packed with spectacular photography of 268 species of owls from all over the world, including extinct species. Many of the images are of highly elusive species very rarely caught on camera. The photos are accompanied by authoritative text describing:
Identification notes
Habitat
Population status
Voice
Food
Distribution
Accurate range maps
Similar species.
The photographic coverage includes plumages and subspecies which promotes differentiation between species, making this the definitive work on owl identification. Similar-looking ("confusion") species are included and owls are shown as adults from a perspective which clearly shows markings that assist in identification.
For birders, naturalists, wildlife photographers, researchers and any fan of the Order Strigiformes, Owls of the World is the definitive work on species identification as well as a comprehensive encyclopedia for reference and pleasure.
Author(s): Heimo Mikkola
Edition: 2
Publisher: Firefly Books
Year: 2019
Language: English
Pages: 528
Cover
Half-title
Title
Copyright
Contents
Acknowledgements
Introduction
What makes an Owl?
Vision
Hearing
Significance of ear-tufts
Silent flight
Bill and claws
The Nature of Owls
Shape and size
Calls
Colour variation and ageing
Abnormalities in Owl plumage
Moult
Food and hunting
Habitat
Behaviour
Intraguild aggression
Breeding strategies
Longevity records
Movements
Evolution of Owls
Distrib ution and biogeography
Taxonomy and DNA-sequencing
Owls and humans
Conservation
Extinct Owls
‘Owlaholics’
Owl associations and global research organisations
Owls on the internet
Species accounts
Photographs
Distribution maps
References
Topography of a typical Owl
Abbreviations
Glossary
The Species Accounts
TytonIdae: Barn, Grass And Bay Owls
1. Barn Owl Tyto alba
2. American Barn Owl Tyto furcata
3. Curacao Barn Owl Tyto bargei
4. Lesser Antilles Barn Owl Tyto insularis
5. Galapagos Barn Owl Tyto punctatissima
6. Cape Verde Barn Owl Tyto detorta
7. Sao Tome Barn Owl Tyto thomensis
8. Australia n Barn Owl Tyto delicatula
9. Boang Barn Owl Tyto crassirostris
10. Andaman Barn Owl Tyto deroepstorffi
11. Ashy -Faced Owl Tyto glaucops
12. Madagascar red Owl Tyto soumagnei
13. Golden masked Owl Tyto aurantia
14. Taliabu Masked Owl Tyto nigrobrunnea
15. Eastern grass Owl Tyto longimembris
16. African grass Owl Tyto capensis
17. Lesser masked Owl Tyto sororcula
18. Austr Alian Masked Owl Tyto novaehollandiae
19. Manus Masked Owl Tyto manusi
20. Sulawes I Masked Owl Tyto rosenbergii
21. Tasm Anian Masked Owl Tyto castanops
22. Sulawesi Golden Owl Tyto inexspectata
23. Lesser Sooty Owl Tyto multipunctata
24. Greater Sooty Owl Tyto tenebricosa
25. Itombwe Owl Tyto prigoginei
26. Orient Albay Owl Phodilus badius
27. Srilank Abay Owl Phodilus assimilis
Strigidae: True Owls
28. Common Scops Owl Otus scops
29. Pallid Scops Owl Otus brucei
30. Arabian Scops Owl Otus pamelae
31. African Scops Owl Otus senegalensis
32. Scotra Scops Owl Otus socotranus
33. Cinnamon Scops Owl Otus icterorhynchus
34. Sokoke Scops Owl Otus ireneae
35. Pemba Scops Owl Otus pembaensis
36. Sao Tome Scops Owl Otus hartlaubi
37. Seychelles Scops Owl Otus insularis
38. Mayotte Scops Owl Otus mayottensis
39. Grande Comore Scops Owl Otus pauliani
40. Anjouan Scops Owl Otus capnodes
41. Moheli Scops Owl Otus moheliensis
42. Madagasc Ar Scops Owl Otus rutilus
43. Torotoroka Scops Owl Otus madagascariensis
44. Mountain Scops Owl Otus spilocephalus
45. Indian Scops Owl Otus bakkamoena
46. Oriental Scops Owl Otus sunia
47. Collared Scops Owl Otus lettia
48. Japanese Scops Owl Otus semitorques
49. Elegant Scops Owl Otus elegans
50. Sunda Scops Owl Otus lempiji
51. Nico Bar Scops Owl Otus alius
52. Simeulue Scops Owl Otus umbra
53. Enggano Scops Owl Otus enganensis
54. Mentawai Scops Owl Otus mentawi
55. Rajah Scops Owl Otus brookii
56. Sing Apore Scops Owl Otus cnephaeus
57. Luzon Lowl And Scops Owl Otus megalotis
58. Mindanao Lowland Scops Owl Otus everetti
59. Visayan Lowland Scops Owl Otus nigrorum
60. Giant Scops Owl Otus gurneyi
61. Palawan Scops Owl Otus fuliginosus
62. White-Fronted Scops Owl Otus sagittatus
63. Reddish Scops Owl Otus rufescens
64. Serendib Scops Owl Otus thilohoffmanni
65. And Aman Scops Owl Otus balli
66. Javan Scops Owl Otus angelinae
67. Wallace’s Scops Owl Otus silvicola
68. Flores Scops Owl Otus alfredi
69. Mind Anao Scops Owl Otus mirus
70. Luzon Scops Owl Otus longicornis
71. Mindoro Scops Owl Otus mindorensis
72. Rinjani Scops Owl Otus jolandae
73. Moluccan Scops Owl Otus magicus
74. Wetar Scops Owl Otus tempestatis
75. Sula Scops Owl Otus sulaensis
76. Biak Scops Owl Otus beccarii
77. Sulawesi Scops Owl Otus manadensis
78. Kalidupa Scops Owl Otus kalidupae
79. Banggai Scops Owl Otus mendeni
80. Siau Scops Owl Otus siaoensis
81. Sangihe Scops Owl Otus collari
82. Mantanani Scops Owl Otus mantananensis
83. Flammulated Owl Psiloscops flammeolus
84. Western Screech Owl Megascops kennicottii
85. Eastern Screech Owl Megascops asio
86. Pacific Screech Owl Megascops cooperi
87. Oaxaca Screech Owl Megascops lambi
88. Whiskered Screech Owl Megascops trichopsis
89. Bearded Screech Owl Megascops barbarus
90. Balsas screech Owl Megascops seductus
91. Bare-Shanked Screech Owl Megascops clarkii
92. Tropical Screech Owl Megascops choliba
93. Maria Koepcke’s Screech Owl Megascops koepckeae
94. Peruvian Screech Owl Megascops roboratus
95. Tumbes Screech Owl Megascops pacificus
96. Montane Forest Screech Owl Megascops hoyi
97. Rufescent Screech Owl Megascops ingens
98. Santa Marta Screech Owl Megascops ‘gilesi’
99. Colombian Screech Owl Megascops colombianus
100. Cinnamon Screech Owl Megascops petersoni
101. Cloud-Forest Screech Owl Megascops marshalli
102. Northern Tawny-Bellied Screech Owl Megascops watsonii
103. Southern Tawny -Bell Ied Screech Owl Megascops usta
104. Black-Capped Screech Owl Megascops atricapilla
105. Santa Catarina Screech Owl Megascops sanctaecatarinae
106. Vermicul Ated Screech Owl Megascops vermiculatus
107. Choco Screech Owl Megascops centralis
108. Roraima Screech Owl Megascops roraimae
109. Guatem Alan Screech Owl Megascops guatemalae
110. Puertorican Screech Owl Megascops nudipes
111. Rionapo Screech Owl Megascops napensis
112. White-Throated Screech Owl Megascops albogularis
113. Palau Owl Pyrroglaux podarginus
114. Cuban Bare-Legged Owl Gymnoglaux lawrencii
115. Northern White-Faced Owl Ptilopsis leucotis
116. Southern White-Faced Owl Ptilopsis granti
117. Snowy Owl Nyctea scandiaca
118. Great Horned Owl Bubo virginianus
119. Magell Anic Horned Owl Bubo magellanicus
120. Eurasian Eagle Owl Bubo bubo
121. Pharaoh Eagle Owl Bubo ascalaphus
122. Rock Eagle Owl Bubo bengalensis
123. Cape Eagle Owl Bubo capensis
124. Akun Eagle Owl Bubo leucostictus
125. Spotted Eagle Owl Bubo africanus
126. Greyish Eagle Owl Bubo cinerascens
127. Fraser’s Eagle Owl Bubo poensis
128. Usambara Eagle Owl Bubo vosseleri
129. Milky Eagle Owl Bubo lacteus
130. Shelley’s Eagle Owl Bubo shelleyi
131. Forest Eagle Owl Bubo nipalensis
132. Barred Eagle Owl Bubo sumatranus
133. Dusky Eagle Owl Bubo coromandus
134. Philippine Eagle Owl Bubo philippensis
135. Blakiston’s Fish Owl Bubo blakistoni
136. Brown Fish Owl Bubo zeylonensis
137. Malay Fish Owl Bubo ketupu
138. Tawny Fish Owl Bubo flavipes
139. Pel’s Fishing Owl Bubo peli
140. Rufous Fish Ing Owl Bubo ussheri
141. Vermiculated Fishing Owl Bubo bouvieri
142. Spectacled Owl Pulsatrix perspicillata
143. Short-Browed Owl Pulsatrix pulsatrix
144. Tawny-Browed Owl Pulsatrix koeniswaldiana
145. Band-Bellied Owl Pulsatrix melanota
146. Tawny Owl Strix aluco
147. Hume’s Owl Strix butleri
148. African Wood Owl Strix woodfordii
149. Spotted Wood Owl Strix seloputo
150. Mottled Wood Owl Strix ocellata
151. Brown Wood Owl Strix leptogrammica
152. Nias Wood Owl Strix niasensis
153. Himalayan Wood Owl Strix nivicola
154. Bartels’s Wood Owl Strix bartelsi
155. Mountain Wood Owl Strix newarensis
156. Mottled Owl Strix virgata
157. Rufous-Legged Owl Strix rufipes
158. Mexican Wood Owl Strix squamulata
159. Chaco Owl Strix chacoensis
160. Rusty-Barred Owl Strix hylophila
161. Rufous-Banded Owl Strix albitarsis
162. Black-And -White Owl Strix nigrolineata
163. Black-Banded Owl Strix huhula
164. Spotted Owl Strix occidentalis
165. Fulvous Owl Strix fulvescens
166. Barred Owl Strix varia
167. Sichuan Wood Owl Strix davidi
168. Ural Owl Strix uralensis
169. Great Grey Owl Strix nebulosa
170. Maned Owl Jubula lettii
171. Crested Owl Lophostrix cristata
172. Northern Hawk Owl Surnia ulula
173. Eurasian Pygmy Owl Glaucidium passerinum
174. Pearl-Spotted Owl Glaucidium perlatum
175. Red-Chested Pygmy Owl Glaucidium tephronotum
176. Coll Ared Pygmy Owl Glaucidium brodiei
177. Northern Pygmy Owl Glaucidium californicum
178. Baja Pygmy Owl Glaucidium hoskinsii
179. Mountain Pygmy Owl Glaucidium gnoma
180. Ridgway’s Pygmy Owl Glaucidium ridgwayi
181. Cloud-Forest Pygmy Owl Glaucidium nubicola
182. Costa Rican Pygmy Owl Glaucidium costaricanum
183. Guatemalan Pygmy Owl Glaucidium cobanense
184. Cuban Pygmy Owl Glaucidium siju
185. Tamaulipas Pygmy Owl Glaucidium sanchezi
186. Colima Pygmy Owl Glaucidium palmarum
187. Central American Pygmy Owl Glaucidium griseiceps
188. Sick’s Pygmy Owl Glaucidium sicki
189. Pernambuco Pygmy Owl Glaucidium minutissimum
190. Amazonian Pygmy Owl Glaucidium hardyi
191. Ferruginous Pygmy Owl Glaucidium brasilianum
192. Subtropical Pygmy Owl Glaucidium parkeri
193. Andean Pygmy Owl Glaucidium jardinii
194. Yungas Pygmy Owl Glaucidium bolivianum
195. Peruvian Pygmy Owl Glaucidium peruanum
196. Austral Pygmy Owl Glaucidium nana
197. Chaco Pygmy Owl Glaucidium tucumanum
198. Jungle Owlet Taenioglaux radiata
199. Chestnut-Backed Owlet Taenioglaux castanonota
200. Javan Owlet Taenioglaux castanoptera
201. Asian Barred Owlet Taenioglaux cuculoides
202. Sjostedt’s Owlet Taenioglaux sjostedti
203. Etchecopar’s Owlet Taenioglaux etchecopari
204. African Barred Owlet Taenioglaux capense
205. Albertine Owlet Taenioglaux albertina
206. Chestnut Owlet Taenioglaux castanea
207. Long-Whiskered Owl Xenoglaux loweryi
208. Elf Owl Micrathene whitneyi
209. Forest Spotted Owl Heteroglaux blewitti
210. Burrowing Owl Athene cunicularia
211. Little Owl Athene noctua
212. Lilith Owl Athene lilith
213. Ethiopian Little Owl Athene spilogastra
214. Northern Little Owl Athene plumipes
215. Spotted Little Owl Athene brama
216. Tengmalm’s Owl Aegolius funereus
217. Northern Saw-Whet Owl Aegolius acadicus
218. Unspotted Saw-Whet Owl Aegolius ridgwayi
219. Buff-Fronted Owl Aegolius harrisii
220. Rufous Owl Ninox rufa
221. Powerful Owl Ninox strenua
222. Barking Owl Ninox connivens
223. Sumba Boo Book Ninox rudolfi
224. Southern Boobook Ninox boobook
225. Morepork Ninox novaeseelandiae
226. Red Boobook Ninox lurida
227. Tasmanian Boobook Ninox leucopsis
228. Brown Boobook Ninox scutulata
229. Northern Boobook Ninox japonica
230. Chocolate Boobook Ninox randi
231. Hume’s Hawk Owl Ninox obscura
232. And Aman Hawk Owl Ninox affinis
233. Madagasc Arhawk Owl Ninox superciliaris
234. Luzon Hawk Owl Ninox philippensis
235. Mindoro Hawk Owl Ninox mindorensis
236. Mindanao Hawk Owl Ninox spilocephala
237. Romblon Hawk Owl Ninox spilonota
238. Cebu Hawk Owl Ninox rumseyi
239. Camiguin Hawk Owl Ninox leventisi
240. Sulu Hawk Owl Ninox reyi
241. Ochre-Bellied Hawk Owl Ninox ochracea
242. West Solomons boobook Ninox jacquinoti
243. Guadalcanal boobook Ninox granti
244. Malaita boobook Ninox malaitae
245. Makira boobook Ninox roseoaxillaris
246. Jungle Hawk Owl Ninox theomacha
247. Speckled Hawk Owl Ninox punctulata
248. Russet Hawk Owl Ninox odiosa
249. Moluccan Boobook Ninox squamipila
250. Halmahera Boobook Ninox hypogramma
251. Tanimbar Boobook Ninox forbesi
252. Cinnabar Hawk Owl Ninox ios
253. Togian Hawk Owl Ninox burhani
254. Little Sumba Hawk Owl Ninox sumbaensis
255. Christmas Hawk Owl Ninox natalis
256. Manus Hawk Owl Ninox meeki
257. Bismarck Hawk Owl Ninox variegata
258. Papuan Hawk Owl Uroglaux dimorpha
259. Fearful Owl Nesasio solomonensis
260. Jamaican Owl Pseudoscops grammicus
261. Stygian Owl Asio stygius
262. Long-Eared Owl Asio otus
263. African Long -Eared Owl Asio abyssinicus
264. Madagascar Long-Eared Owl Asio madagascariensis
265. Striped Owl Asio clamator
266. Short-Eared Owl Asio flammeus
267. Galap Agos Short -Eared Owl Asio galapagoensis
268. Marsh Owl Asio capensis
Further Reading
Photographic credits
Index
