The Eagle Owl

Description

Shortlisted for the 2021 TWS Wildlife Publication Awards The Eagle Owl is one of the largest owls in the world, and is considered the most eclectic in terms of habitat, nest site and diet. An undisputed top predator, it can prey on a range of mammals up to the size of a fox, and almost every species of bird, reptile, amphibian and fish, as well as a wide spectrum of invertebrates. Surprisingly, this owl can breed almost anywhere, the female laying her eggs on a variety of natural and artificial structures over an array of altitudes. Despite being so adaptable, however, it is still a vulnerable species, and has suffered widely from persecution as well as other threats including electrocution on power lines, decreasing prey availability, the effects of pesticides and pollutants, and habitat alteration. Vincenzo Penteriani and Maria del Mar Delgado have studied this fascinating bird extensively across its vast Eurasian range. In this book, they detail its intriguing ecology, covering distribution, foraging and breeding behaviour, interspecific interactions, dispersal and conservation issues. The final two chapters provide a remarkable insight into vocal and visual communication. Scientists have long believed that owls and other crepuscular and nocturnal birds forgo the visual signals found in other avian species, but recent research on the Eagle Owl has suggested otherwise. Bringing together more than 30 years of research, The Eagle Owl tells a story rich in detail of one of the most thrilling and magnificent birds in the world.

Vincenzo Penteriani and Maria del Mar Delgado have been researching the ecology and population dynamics of the Eagle Owl in Italy, France, Spain and southern Finland for more than 30 years. Vincenzo Penteriani first seriously studied Eagle Owls in Provence, during his PhD. He worked at the Donana Biological Station (EBD) for nearly 20 years, during which time he and Maria del Mar Delgado studied the species in south-western Spain and southern Finland (at which time Vincenzo was working at the Finnish Museum of Natural History in Helsinki). Vincenzo is now a researcher with the Pyrenean Institute of Ecology (IPE) - part of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) - and is currently based at the Research Unit of Biodiversity (UMIB), where he is working on Brown Bears in the Cantabrian Mountains. Maria del Mar Delgado did her PhD on the Eagle Owl at EBD, and has since spent several years as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Helsinki. She is currently based at UMIB, where she is undertaking research on snowfinches.

How exciting to be writing about the world's largest owl! This new book represents 30 years of research on a Eurasian species that is so much bigger than the North American equivalent. A wide distribution requires double the usual number of colour plates to illustrate the variety of nesting sites and habitats. Information drawn from about 1200 references, and many more personal communications, make this one of the most thoroughly researched books in the Poyser Series. The artwork at chapter headings and on the cover, by Tom Bjoerklund and Giulia Bombieri, is exquisite, too. -- R E Kenward * Ibis * Anyone interested in owls, predators in general, or issues around non-native species in Britain, should read this book -- John Marchant * BTO *