What We’re Reading: What An Owl Knows

 

Get closer to owls with Jennifer Ackerman’s insightful and beautifully written New York Times Best-selling book “What An Owl Knows.” Owls appear to us to be elusive and enigmatic. But isn’t that because we really don’t understand them? Ackerman’s thorough research and compelling writing style draw the reader into the stories of many different species of owls and reveal their innermost lives. She illuminates the rich biology and natural history of these birds and reveals remarkable new scientific discoveries about their brains and behavior. She joins scientists in the field and explores how researchers are using modern technology and tools to learn how owls communicate, hunt, court, mate, raise their young, and move about from season to season. We now know that the hoots, squawks, and chitters of owls follow sophisticated and complex rules, allowing them to express not just their needs and desires but their individuality and identity. Owls duet. They migrate. They hoard their prey. Some live in underground burrows; some roost in large groups; some dine on black widows and scorpions. And that’s just the beginning. The book is a page-turner. And the Audible version, narrated by the author herself, is passionate and intuitive. Check it out!