Title:

What an Owl Knows

Author:

Jennifer Ackerman

Category:

Non Fiction

Rating:

Date Reviewed:

November 2, 2024

hat an Owl Knows describes these fascinating avians. There are a couple thousand owl species, but these birds are still mysterious because they are so hard to study. They are experts at camouflage, they are active at night, and they fly silently. Only recently have scientists been able to use modern techniques to understand some of their secrets. These studies reveal surprising owl behaviors and adaptations.

Owls have excellent senses of hearing and sight. The feathers on their faces funnel sound to their ears, which are placed slightly asymmetrically on the head to allow better pinpointing of the source of the noise. Owl hearing is so acute they can detect the rustling of a lemming beneath 18 inches of snow. The owl has to noiselessly hover directly above the sound to determine exactly where it is coming from, because snow, like water, bends sound and light waves. The owl then strikes, plunging its talons through the snow to capture the unsuspecting rodent. Scientists have found that a nerve from the auditory processing part of the owl's brain leads to the vision center, so it is possible that owls somehow "see" what they are hearing.

Owls are excellent and frequent hunters. Though some owls prey on scorpions, and owl specializing hunting other birds or fish, the primary food source is small mammals. A breeding pair of owls with 3 chicks can eat up to 8000 rodents in a year. They have special fluffy feathers that dispel the sound of their flight, so they can hunt silently.

Ackerman is clearly enthusiastic about owls. Her writing describes the wonders of owls with clear descriptions but also passes along a sense of awe at the amazing things these birds can do. She interviewed owl experts all over the world, going with some on night time expeditions to try and spot them, while learning the latest in owl science. Recent discoveries reveal that some owl migrate, but no one knew because they fly at night. Some owls, like the northern saw-whet, were thought to be rare until capturing with mist nets reveal a much larger population than anyone suspected.

Owl swallow their prey whole, and after it is digested, they cough back up a pellet of bones and fur. In Australia a researcher found a cave of Sooty Owl pellets that dated back thousands of years. Scientist studied these remains to learn what owls had eaten before the arrival of Europeans in Australia. Sooty owls used to eat 28 different kinds of prey animals, but now they only capture 10 different species.

Owls, like seemingly every other wild species on this planet, are threatened by climate change and habitat destruction. Their numbers are dwindling as their territories vanish. It is deeply saddening to read about the scientist who counts snowy owl nests every year in the Alaskan tundra, only to find no nests in recent years. It is infuriating to read that some people shoot owls on sight because they believe that owls bring bad luck. Hard to believe that people sophisticated enough to use cell phones, cars and computers are still so superstitious.

Ackerman does terrific job of conveying to the reader the marvels of these highly adapted birds. I see she has written a couple other books about birds, maybe I will check them out.