Australian high country owls [Book Review]

2013·0.29 MB·English

by  Raylene Cooke

BookReviews
Australian High CountryOwls
byJerryOlsen
Publisher: CSIROPublishing, Collingwood,2012. 376pages,paperback, colourphotographs.
ISBN:9780643097056. RRP$69.95
Owls have an uncanny ability to intrigue us,
whether through their regular nightly rituals,
particularlyduringtheirbreedingseason, their
persistent calling in the depths of the night,
their elusiveness (causing subsequent frustra-
tion on our part while trying to find them) or
simplybecauseoftheirmysteryandawe.Owls,
forwhateverreason,holdaveryspecialplacein
theheartsofmanypeople.
Aspublicawarenessaboutowlsincreases,sodo
thequestionsaboutthesecrypticcreatures.Jerry
Olsen,through hisbookAustralian High Coun-
try Owls, has provided extensive information
andknowledge onboth Australianandinterna-
tional owlspecies. The366pagebookprovides
detailed accounts from Jerry’s own experiences
aswellasincorporatingrelevantscientificlitera-
ture. Thebook focuses primarilyon Australian
Ninox species and how these compare to their
international counterparts. This comparison high quality and certainly provides further in-
is extremely valuable, as highlighted in Jerry’s sights into the mystery associated with these
preface, because much ofthe owl research un- birds.
dertaken in Australiaisbased on protocols and ThefinalsectionofthebookistitledWallacea
datainterpretationfromoverseas. andprovides a detailed account ofowls on the
The book contains 41 chapters, all ofwhich islandofSumbaandthediscoveryofanewowl
are verywellwritten andeasyto read. Thefirst species,theLittleSumba Hawk-owl. An exten-
few chapters contain essential background sive reference list is also provided along with
information such as what an owl is, owl tax- appendices on Australian owls and rehabilitat-
onomy, in particular Ninox species followed inginjuredororphanedowls.
bythe Southern Boobook as aNinox example. Jerry Olsen is one ofAustralia’s leading owl
After providing background information such researchers and has many years ofexperience
as this, the book delves into the many aspects working with these birds. This expertise and
ofstudying owls, includinghow to locate, trap experience shines throughout this book, with
and handle these often difficult creatures on interestingandaccurateinformation. Thebook
which toundertakeresearch! is a must have for anyone interested in learn-
Detailedinformationandaccountsofdietand ing more about these mysterious and amazing
hunting, breeding and conservation are also creatures.
provided.Thesesectionsare extremelyvaluable
astheydrawheavilyonboththescientificlitera-
tureandtheauthor’s own researchexperiences.
DrRayleneCooke
Summary tables, figures and photographs are SchoolofLifeandEnvironmentalSciences
well used to provide information andhighlight DeakinUniversity-MelbourneCampus
visual points. The photography is ofextremely 221BBuurrwwooooddHViicgh3w1a33y
62 TheVictorianNaturalist