About this book
An essential compendium on the biology, identification, distribution and conservation of Europe's 13 species of owls.
Owls are fascinating birds, with remarkable adaptations for their lives as nocturnal hunters. Covering the 13 species of owls that occur across the continent, Owls of Europe features detailed drawings of typical positions, behaviours and facial expressions, alongside more than 300 photos selected to demonstrate age and subspecific variation, colour phases and the birds in flight.
This book includes up-to-date distribution maps and the latest European population estimates, along with detailed text on behaviour, voice, brood biology and juvenile development, life strategies, hunting techniques, choice of prey and habitat requirements for each species. It also explores human interactions with owls, from the threats posed to determined conservation efforts.
Owls of Europe is an essential book for birdwatchers, professional ornithologists and those who simply love owls.
Originally published in German in 2020 by Kosmos Verlag as Die Eulen Europas: Biologie, Kennzeichen, Bestande.
Contents
Features and species
- Shared characters
- Species diversity and evolution
Adaptations of owls
- Highly specialised sense organs
- Communication signals
Owl behaviour
- Rest, body maintenance, and movement
- Hunting
- Avoidance of predators and disturbance
- Intra- and inter-specific relationships
- Display and courtship
- Reproduction and brood care
- Nestling period and juvenile development
Life strategies of owls
- Activity pattern
- Choice of prey
- Mating systems and reproductive strategies
Habitat requirements
- Important habitat parameters
- Site selection
- Natural and cultivated landscapes as owl habitats
- Unnatural risk factors
Protection and conservation
- Owls – victims of superstition
- Anthropocentric owl protection
- Species protection – a global obligation
- Ensuring habitat quality
The species
- Barn Owl Tyto alba
- Eagle Owl Bubo bubo
- Snowy Owl Bubo scandiacus
- Great Grey Owl Strix nebulosa
- Ural Owl Strix uralensis
- Tawny Owl Strix aluco
- Long-eared Owl Asio otus
- Short-eared Owl Asio flammeus
- Scops Owl Otus scops
- Hawk Owl Surnia ulula
- Pygmy Owl Glaucidium passerinum
- Little Owl Athene noctua
- Tengmalm's Owl Aegolius funereus
Determining characteristics of European owls
Addresses
Sources of population estimates
Further reading
Index
Customer Reviews (1)
-
A great German book translated
By
Keith
27 May 2025
Written for Hardback
If I had to choose a group of birds to be fascinated about then it would be owls and I have many owl books. I had been aware of this book for some time as it first appeared in German in 2000. Now the book is in its third edition and updated to reflect our improved knowledge on owls, but importantly we now have an English edition to read thanks to an excellent translation by all-round naturalist and author Martin Walters.
Some owl species have similar lives and hunting strategies while others are very different in so many ways. The first 124 pages discuss these features, and in particular how owls are adapted to a life (mostly) in the dark with heightened optical and acoustic awareness. Some choose to sit and wait for prey while others actively hunt, sometimes in daylight. Much of this section explains how owls breed, and not surprisingly a lot of the information is drawn from Central Europe (rather than the UK) because this is where the largest concentration of European owls live. For example, in Germany there are nine breeding species compared to just five in the UK.
In total there are 13 owl species covered by this book, and each gets a chapter of around 20 pages with up-to-date information on distribution, population estimates, along with detailed texts on behaviour, voice, brood biology and juvenile development, life strategies, hunting techniques, choice of prey and habitat requirements for each species. It also explores human interactions with owls, from the threats posed to determined conservation efforts. If you love owls, then you’ll enjoy the photos. If you are looking for a gentle introductory text on owls, then this book may be more complex than you want. However, it is well laid out and allows the reader to easily cherry-pick the information they want, or to engross themselves in a particular aspect of owl ecology if preferred.
Was this helpful to you? Yes No
Biography
Wolfgang Scherzinger is an Austrian ornithologist with particular expertise in owls. His research focused on the Bavarian Forest National Park where he worked as a zoologist. He has been significantly involved in the forest's protection since 1971, and was involved in the reintroduction of both Eagle Owl and Ural Owl to the forest.
The late Theodor Mebs was a German ornithologist and author, who spent his career researching the biology of birds of prey.
![Die Eulen Europas: Biologie, Kennzeichen, Bestande [The Owls of Europe: Biology, Identification and Conservation]](http://mediacdn.nhbs.com/jackets/jackets_resizer/24/247972.jpg "Die Eulen Europas: Biologie, Kennzeichen, Bestande [The Owls of Europe: Biology, Identification and Conservation]")
