Owls of North America.

Sandy Campbell is a reference librarian in the Science and Technology Library at the University of Alberta.

Francis Backhouse is a well-known Canadian nature writer. This volume is similar in structure to her earlier volume “Woodpeckers of North America.” About half of this book is given over to the natural history of owls and the remainder to 23 species profiles.

Geographically, the book covers North America down to the Tropic of Cancer, which takes in most of Mexico and the Caribbean islands. As a result the geographic references in the text are widely spread, with few direct mentions of Canadian owls or issues. 

The content of the natural history section is quite detailed and often cites research. For example, in the discussion of feeding nestlings, two observational studies of male owls helping a breeding pair to feed their young are described. In the section on feeding we are given data from a study by biologist Soren Bondrup-Nielsen, in which he gave owls frozen mice and then observed them sitting on the mice for 20-25 minutes to thaw them before eating them. 

Backhouse has done a good job of making scientific information comprehensible for the lay reader, without “dumbing it down.” For example, in discussing preparation for incubating eggs she tells us that “the female loses the feathers covering her brood patch, a specialized area of the abdomen and lower breast that is richly supplied with blood vessels.”

The content of each species account is much more detailed than a standard field guide. Each account is about three pages and includes an introductory essay and then descriptions of appearance, voice, distribution, habitat, feeding, breeding, migration and conservation. Because owls are nocturnal, the “activity timing and roost sites” section is a useful addition for bird watchers. Each profile is also accompanied by a distribution map and an image of the bird. 

The images, credited to a variety of photo services, are excellent. There are many close-ups and images of owls in action, as well as stunning full-page pictures. 

Both the bibliography and the index are extensive, increasing the usefulness of the volume as a reference tool. Highly recommended for public libraries and North American academic libraries supporting natural history collections.