Reading Between the Lines

From cave paintings to the Muggles, ‘What an Owl Knows’ explains infatuation with these birds of prey

by Chuck Wisman

In “What an Owl Knows,” Ackerman immediately draws the reader into her world of owls and all they embody. Image by Penguin Random House

“What an Owl Knows: The New Science of the World’s Most Enigmatic Birds” is a delightful and thoroughly engaging book by Jennifer Ackerman, a New York Times bestselling author. Ackerman travels the world observing owls in a number of locations while interviewing those working with them, including researchers, scientists, rehabilitators, and everyday people with an interest in owls.

“What an Owl Knows” is definitely not a dry, scientific tome. Ackerman immediately draws the reader into her world of owls and all they embody. The book’s opening explains the fascination with owls from ancient times up to and including today’s young readers.

“What is it about owls that so enthralls us? They appear in the Chauvet Cave Paintings of France dating to 30,000 years ago … in Greek mythology … in the prints and etchings of Picasso and as couriers in the Harry Potter stories, shuttling between the realm of matter-of-fact Muggles and the magical. They inhabit our languages and are embedded in our sayings. If we’re aged and sage, we’re ‘wise old owls.’”

According to Ackerman, approximately 260 species of owls exist today. They vary dramatically from species to species including one of the largest, Michigan’s Great Horned Owl, with a wingspan of 4 feet 6 inches and weighing a little over 3 pounds. At the other end of the scale is the Elf owl, the smallest owl, weighing less than 1 and 1/2 ounces—about the size of a sparrow—and Michigan’s resident Saw-whet owl, which weighs less than 2 ounces.

Experts count 11 species of owls residing in Michigan. Occasionally, our state has recorded the presence of non-resident owls, such as the Burrowing Owl that nests in the ground and is native to the western U.S.

Ackerman includes numerous photographs of owls throughout her book, including several pages of color plates. The photos are fascinating in their own right since owls vary dramatically in their appearance. Ackerman poses an interesting question: “Why do an owl’s eyes, alone in the bird world, face the same way as ours?” Think about the birds you’ve observed; usually, their eyes are located toward the sides of their head, not facing forward, like human eyes.

Drawn to owls since childhood, I would watch them on our family farm—where we still reside—as they silently flew through dense woods, appearing almost as apparitions. Many years ago, while slowly driving around a sharp corner in the fall, I hit an owl with my car. The owl was knocked unconscious in the middle of the road. My first reaction was to rescue the owl in a not-well-thought-out plan. I brought the owl into my car, placing its talons between the fingers of my right hand. The owl was approximately 8 inches tall. What species? I had no idea. At the time, it was “just an owl.”

My rescue plan quickly took a turn when the owl revived in the car, which was a small compact car with a manual transmission. Apparently, the owl was none too happy with its rescue. First, it began flapping its wings, causing my four-year-old son to cower against the car door. Next, it began biting my hand with its beak as I tried to shift gears with my left hand. Not knowing whether it was fully recovered or not, I continued driving to the farm. I immediately released the owl, and it successfully flew across our fields to a nearby woods. Upon its release, area birds came out from all directions, shrieking and chasing that owl. Apparently, this “wolf of the sky” was not popular with the resident birds.

Each chapter of “What an Owl Knows” explores a different aspect of owls. Ackerman notes that only recently have scientists begun understanding the complex nature of owls. Although everyone knows what an owl looks like, they’re very difficult to research given their reclusiveness, camouflage, and their active life restricted primarily to nighttime. Surprisingly, Ackerman found that much of our information has come from captive owls—owls that were injured or abandoned as owlets and subsequently rehabilitated.

One such owl is a Great Horned Owl, Papa G’Ho, who now acts as a surrogate parent to orphaned owlets. As Ackerman describes him, he’s cranky with people but he’s an awesome role model for Great Horned Owlets, helping raise them for eventual release into the wild. Papa G’Ho has successfully raised more than 50 owlets and never rejected one. He even won the “Coolest Dad” award from Virginia Living magazine.

“What an Owl Knows” also explores the vocalizations of different species and how owls are unique in that each has its own signature hoot. Researchers have discovered that owlets actually begin vocalizing while still in the egg. As Ackerman explains, “…mostly active at night or at dawn or dusk…[owl] vocalizations are essential to their communication. They don’t hoot for the hell of it. They vocalize for a reason, and they convey meaning in their calls.”

This book is filled with informative interviews with owl researchers and enthusiasts from around the world. Researchers are still learning the secrets of an owl’s silent flight and their ability to camouflage based on their coloration. The book also contains fascinating facts Ackerman discovered through her many interviews and travels, such as learning the Australian Powerful Owl eats nearly 250-350 possums a year.

Notably, Ackerman devotes a chapter to the current threats facing owls, such as lead poisoning, poisoning from rodenticides in mice, loss of habitat, and other threats.

From my own perch on the family farm, it’s not unusual to see Great Horned Owls during a full moon roosting in the trees of our yard, on the old barn or even the old windmill—declaring their territory by hooting away.

“What an Owl Knows” is highly recommended to anyone interested in owls, birds, or the world around us. It is available on order from the Stockbridge District Library.

 

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