The Little Owl: Conservation, Ecology and Behavior of Athene Noctua
Cambridge University Press
Edition: Illustrated, 9/18/2008
EAN 9780521886789, ISBN10: 0521886783
Hardcover, 628 pages, 26.7 x 18.4 x 3.2 cm
Language: English
Originally published in English
Our understanding of the basic biology of owls is poor compared to that of other bird species. The Little Owl, Athene noctua, has become one of the best models for biological and conservation research, due to its commonness and the fact that it occupies nest-boxes very easily. In this unique book the authors synthesise the substantial literature, and detail current information regarding the Little Owl. They discuss its wide-ranging ecology, genetics and subspecies and population status by country. In addition, they outline a strategy and monitoring program for its conservation. The book features an outstanding bibliography of literature on the Little Owl, listing publications dated from 1769 to 2007, in many languages, including Russian, English, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian and Dutch. Whilst being an invaluable resource for academic researchers, its straightforward style holds undoubted appeal for amateurs and enthusiasts.
1. Introduction
2. History and traditions
3. Taxonomy and genetics
4. Morphology and body characteristics
5. Distribution, population estimates and trends
6. Habitat
7. Diet
8. Breeding season
9. Behaviour
10. Population regulation
11. Conservation
12. Research priorities
13. Monitoring plan for the Little Owl
14. Citizen conservation and volunteer work on Little Owls – the past, present and future
15. Literature cited
16. Appendices.
Review of the hardback: '... Van Nieuwenhuyse and his co-authors have certainly given us a fascinating read. However, the most impressive aspect of this book is the huge amount of work the authors did to cover almost all the literature ever published in every type of source ... if you want to know anything about the Little Owl, this book probably contains the information you seek, while clues are also offered to some as-yet-unanswered questions.' Ibis