It’s difficult to know what I would think of this book had I not just read Bernd Heinrich’s Mind of the Raven. One of the things I liked most about Heinrich’s book is that it lacked a lot of the fluff that many naturalist books have, which I had noted in Jennifer Ackerman’s other books, but found more prevalent this time around, perhaps, again, because I had just read Heinrich. That said, it was a good book. I learned a lot about owls from around the world. I appreciated that it was about just owls and not all birds, so learning was more thorough and retention was increased. I further enjoyed discovering more behind my own experiences. For example, a snowy owl I once saw in Delaware coincided with a year of abundance when the owls migrate far south.

I did not, however, find the book title apt. It was a book on owls, but not particularly focused on what they know, how they perceive, or what sensory world they exist in. All those topics were covered, but lightly. There was far more on owls in human culture than I would care to know. I understand that our knowledge is likely heavier on anecdotes than peer-reviewed studies of owl thought, but if the time isn’t ripe for a book with this title, than that is ok. We can wait.

I also found the attempts to push narrative aspects disjointed. That is, authors like to write themselves into non-fiction books to give them more personal touch, discussing people–and owls–they meet in the field. However, sometimes it’s just forced, and this was one of those times. So read the book to learn about owls and you will not be disappointed, but it’s not as in-depth as you may have originally expected.