The first-ever monograph of a beautiful and and captivating nocturnal
hunter.
This is a book about the Tawny Owl and the main habitat in which it
lives, the broad-leaved deciduous woodlands and forests of central
Eurasia. This fine bird - night-time screecher, scourge of voles and
perpetual inhabitant of folklore - occurs in resident populations from
southern Scandinavia down to North Africa and Iran in the south and from
Portugal to Central Asia, with very closely related species occurring
all the way to southern China. It is without doubt the most common owl
species in Europe, but it remains mysterious; despite being the
best-studied European owl, there remains much to learn about its ecology
and behaviour.
A classic Poyser monograph, The Tawny Owl includes introductory
sections on evolution and taxonomy - including the fascinating
possibility that the British population is well on its way to full
species status followed by chapters on territoriality, sensory ecology,
voice, diurnal activity, hunting behaviour and diet, nesting, chick
development, population demographics, conservation and folklore.
