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Because of its adaptation to nocturnal life, the owl is sometimes difficult to see; its identification is therefore a challenge even to the most experienced field birders. This book, together with its accompanying double CD, is an invaluable aid to the identification of owls, for it pays particular attention to the crucial element of voice identification. In addition to identification, the book also offers in-depth coverage of the ecology and reproductive behavior of owls. The book includes 64 color plates of various species as well as sonograms and distribution maps.

Owls: A Guide to the Owls of the World, by Claus Konig, Friedhelm Weick, and Jan-Hendrik Becking, is another volume in the joint Yale University Press/Pica Press series on bird families. Because of their mostly nocturnal habits, owls are not as well studied as some other groups. This book gives us a comprehensive review of the knowledge of this enigmatic group of birds, and is a welcome addition to the literature.There is a particularly informative overview of owls at the beginning of the book, covering morphology and anatomy (including their distinctive visual and hearing adaptations) and a copiously illustrated section on owl behavior. A separate essay covers the molecular evolution and systematics of owls, giving a clear survey of mitrochondrial gene analysis as a means to study owl speciation and genetic relationships.Full color plates meticulously painted by Friedhelm Weick show male, female, and juvenile of each species when there are differences, perched and in flight, and also many color variants and subspecies. The reproduction of the illustrations is excellent.The majority of the book consists of lengthy, very detailed descriptions of each species. These descriptions include sections on identification, voice, geographical variation, distribution, habitat, behavior, and breeding and survival for the species and its subspecies. A remarks section supplies the authors' views on the state of taxonomic and biologic study for each species.As with other books in this series, the nomenclature reflects the European background of the authors and also different opinions on speciation than most U.S. birders are used to seeing. Thus, the Ferruginous Pygmy-owl of the American southwest and South America, as identified in most U.S. guides, is broken into two species, the U.S. branch being named Ridgway's Pygmy Owl. The Flammulated Owl is renamed the Flammulated Scops Owl, and so on. French, German, and Spanish popular names are also provided.Very detailed yet readable range maps accompany each species description. The book concludes with a bibliography. There is an index by vernacular name, and also by species and subspecies names. A complementary double compact disk set (not reviewed), entitled A Sound Guide to the Owls of the World, is also available from the publishers.There are no recent comprehensive guides to the owls of the world. As such, this book is very welcome and is highly recommended for academic and research libraries and for larger public libraries that serve an active birding population. Reviewer: Alex Bloss, Acquisitions Librarian, University of Illinois at Chicago Library, abloss@uic.edu Copyright 2000 E-Stream Reviews