The Great Horned Owl: An In-depth Study

by Scott Rashid

The Great Horned Owl is the largest owl found throughout most of North America. Adult owls are between eighteen to 24 inches from head to tail and can have a wing span of more than four feet. Their long ear tufts and cryptic coloration enables them to remain well hidden during the day, often out of sight of sharp-eyed diurnal raptors and eagle-eyed birders. Through more than 130 photographs and illustrations, take an in-depth look into the life of this very impressive and formidable bird. Explore the owls’ food habits, nesting sites, how they raise their young, and the rehabilitation of injured owls. The one-of-a-kind photographs and comprehensive descriptions make this a must-have treasure to be enjoyed by all ages. It is sure to become the go-to reference on the Great Horned Owl.

Genres: Birds

112 pages, Hardcover

First published March 28, 2015

Reviews

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Disclaimer: ARC via Netgalley.

The only time I have seen a Great Horned Owl has been in a zoo. For some reason, why seeing hawks and bats in my city neighborhood is pretty common; I haven’t seen an owl. I have no doubt that they are there; they must be. I live near a park and near a historical cemetery called The Woodlands (and there is a reason why it is called that). I’m also not much of a birder. I see various birds in my backyard, and go pretty! Then run inside, find an old bird book and try to figure out what I saw. I’m not really the ideal audience for this book in many ways.

I love birds that eat things, however. There is something beautiful about watching a marsh hawk eat a squirrel or a Harris’ hawk eat a pigeon. So I figured, since I am auto-approved I might as well give this book a try.

Rashid’s book about Great Horned Owls is ideal for a beginner or a child. The book covers everything from body structure, eating habits, mating, predators, and recovery. While technique terms are used, they are explained (and done so in such a way that the reader does not feel stupid) and there is a glossary and source listing at the end. The book progresses from anatomy to rehabilitation, so each chapter builds upon the previous. There is even a whole chapter about owl vocalization, which was actually quite interesting as is the chapter about nesting. Rashid also not only mentions his own sightings of the owls, but also historical sources from older studies. It makes for vivid reading.

Hands down, however, the best part of the book is the pictures. The photographs of Horned Owls are worthy of their own book because some of them are absolutely breath taking. There is a picture of horned owls nesting near (basically the same tree) as herons. There awesome shots were you can play find the owl. Cute shots of owlets.

The photos are worth the price of the book.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. Will write a longer review later with all of the facts I learned. Appreciate the documentation and references sited.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

As is said in the eloquent introduction to this book, the author’s hours and hours spent observing and rehabilitating these animals, combined with the presentation of his artwork, gives the reader an “in-depth” feel for what these birds are like. You can catch his excitement and sense of wonder. I too am amazed at how the owls camouflage with their surroundings, for example. I couldn’t really grasp the huge size of these birds until I saw the picture of a house finch next to a Great Horned Owl, who didn’t look like it cared at all that the other, smaller bird was there. As it turns out, they will eat pretty much anything their size or smaller. “The Great Horned Owl” by Scott Rashid is a great natural history of a fascinating and beautiful bird species.

Another thing I learned is why their faces are shaped the way they are, and the various functions of ear tufts – the “horns” they are named for. While the writing is sometimes easier to scan over the names of different species as they are listed, the text is grounded in science and well annotated. Rashid’s anecdotes are even more interesting, and his illustrations are excellent, as I see them, teaching aids. One drawback is that a couple of photos didn’t enlarge so well – the quality is sort of grainy; however, the other photos more than make up for this, as these are rare views of owls in their natural habitat. The map of their distribution covers almost all of North America, yet it is not every day one gets to see this bird or any of its differently colored subspecies the way the authors knows how to find them. This book can serve as a reference as well as an art collection to revisit many times. This is just the kind of book that I would love at any age, and I hope may spark an interest in owls, animals and nature in younger generations.

Note: in exchange for an honest review, a copy of this title was generously provided by Schiffer Publishing. For more reviews, follow my blog at http://matt-stats.blogspot.com/