About this item
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Genius of Birds and The Bird Way, a brilliant scientific investigation into owls - the most elusive of birds - and why they exert such a hold on human imaginationFor millennia, owls have captivated and intrigued us. Our fascination with these mysterious birds was first documented more than thirty thousand years ago in the Chauvet Cave paintings in southern France. With their forward gaze and quiet flight, owls are often a symbol of wisdom, knowledge, and foresight. But what does an owl really know? And what do we really know about owls? Though our fascination goes back centuries, scientists have only recently begun to understand in deep detail the complex nature of these extraordinary birds. Some two hundred sixty species of owls exist today, and they reside on every continent except Antarctica, but they are far more difficult to find and study than other birds because they are cryptic, camouflaged, and mostly active in the dark of night.
About the Author
Jennifer Ackerman has been writing about science and nature for three decades. She is the author of eight books, including the bestseller, , which has been translated into more than twenty languages. Her articles and essays have appeared in , and many other publications. Ackerman is the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts Literature Fellowship in Nonfiction, a Bunting Fellowship, and a grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Her articles and essays have been included in several anthologies, among them , and
