Owls: The Silent Flyers [Paperback]

R.D. Lawrence (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 3, 2001

For centuries, owls have held an extraordinary fascination for people. Since Roman times, they have both been persecuted as harbingers of death and treasured as the embodiment of good fortune. Even today they are shot and trapped for sport or killed for the supposed curative powers of their eyes and feathers. It is a testament to the owl's great intelligence and toughness that it has survived human contact at all.

Today, 19 species of owls can be found in North America and this magnificent book is a celebration of their survival. R.D. Lawrence's engaging text, complemented with dozens of stunning color images by America's top wildlife photographers, explains how owls hunt, what they feed on, how they see in the dark and much more. Each chapter focuses on a different species, from the majestic great horned owl and the rare ferruginous pygmy owl to the strange looking barn owl.

These individual portraits include each bird's vital statistics, along with range maps, information on their typical nesting and breeding patterns and detailed descriptions of their relationships with their family and environment. Lastly, owl-watching tips will inform every bird watcher.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Intimate portraits with beautiful color photographs ... A great addition to any family or amateur natural history library. (Wildlife Activist 20020401)

About the Author

R.D. Lawrence is one of the world's most noted wildlife champions. He began his own adventures with owls when he rescued and healed two injured birds. Lawrence is an internationally recognized authority on wilderness and environmental conservation and is the author of Trail of the Wolf.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Firefly Books; Revised edition (March 3, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1552095886
• ISBN-13: 978-1552095881
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,906,710 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Silent death..., March 1, 2002

By 

"michaeleve" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Owls: The Silent Flyers (Paperback)

...for rats, mice, possum and other small nocturnal animals. Delivered by the talons of one of the 19 species of North American owls described, and beautifully photographed in OWLS: THE SILENT FLYERS. The history of owl's relationship with man is mixed. Due to their nightly stealth and effectiveness as hunters many cultures have imbued them with special powers. As such they have oftentimes been persecuted as harbingers of death. Yet man also treasures these magnificent birds and in many places they are symbols of wisdom and good fortune.

All this and much more is mentioned by the author as he tells of his personal experiences with many of the species through rehabilitating orphaned and injured birds. Diversity abounds. There are large species such as the Great Horned Owl and the Great Gray Owl and the tiny ones - Pygmy and Elf Owls. Ground dwellers such as the Burrowing Owl can be contrasted with northern-forest dwellers. Some have adapted to man made environments (the Barn Owl) while others are restricted to the remote artic wilderness (the Snowy Owl)

Each chapter covers a different species or group of owls and each description is supplemented with a map showing range and useful information such as the birds measurements, description of its eggs, nesting and breeding behavior, their diet and lastly, but by no means least - owl-watching tips for birders. This is however not a field guide. For one thing, it's too large. It is a good general introduction to North American owls highlighted with 70 full color photos and written by someone who obviously appreciates these unique birds. It also remains one of the better books available on the subject.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lovely book, August 24, 2006

By 

Paul Bridges (California) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Owls: The Silent Flyers (Paperback)

You will love the many breathtaking color photographs in this book. The text is comprised largely of personal accounts of encounters with various (mostly rehabilitated) owls, which is highly engaging and well written. Only the "forward" of the book discusses generic owl anatomy/behavior (rather quickly), the other chapters being species-specific stories of owl encounters.
If you're looking for a good scientific reference, I'd consider "North American Owls" as a great addition. In fact, a few statements in this book seem questionable. The author describes how owls can catch prey in complete darkeness, and despite their extraordinarily sophisticated 2D hearing ability, he suspects that their sense of *smell* is key. This flies in the face of most research I've read. Experiments show that when an ear is plugged, or the ruff feathers are removed, the owl dramtically loses ability to locate prey. Hearing seems to be key. Most birds have really lousy sense of smell.
He also says that nocturnal owls are somewhat handicapped by daylight, whereas all references I've read dispute this, saying owls are no more troubled by sunshine than we are (i.e., some occasional squinting), and my own experience photographing live owls with flash guns supports this.
Also, he says owls lack a crop and gizzard. Everything I read says they have a "glandular" adaptation of the crop, and indeed have a gizzard, which is what forms the well-known pellets.
So if you're looking for a good scientific reference, you might add another book, but nevertheless I cherish this book for its heartfelt personal stories about owls and it's gorgeous photographs.


Nevertheless,