By Mike Toms
Owls have constantly featured prominently within the mythology and folklore of quite a few cultures. those mysterious nocturnal creatures are considered symbols of knowledge, omens of loss of life, and bringers of prophecy. in truth, owls are one of many oldest species of vertebrate animal, with fossils courting again 60 million years.
Owls were a resource of suggestion to writers, artists, historians and naturalists alike. In a much-anticipated quantity on one in every of Britain's so much interesting crew of birds, Mike Toms attracts on a wealth of expertise and study, offering a entire common background of British owls.
The first a part of the publication covers quite a few facets of owl taxonomy, origins, anatomy, behaviour and ecology and appears around the British owl species, drawing comparisons and highlighting alterations. the second one half takes each one species in flip to supply a extra distinct point of view, fleshing out appropriate conservation concerns, behaviour and status.
Toms explores Britain's loved Barn Owl, Tawny Owl and Snowy Owl among numerous others. He makes use of the great database and newest study from his paintings with the British belief for Ornithology (BTO) to concentration quite at the specifics of owls' breeding ecology, their dispersal styles, vitamin, vocalisations, description, inhabitants adjustments and mortality. He addresses conservation matters, alterations in laws and capability alterations within the prestige of 1 of Britain's such a lot iconic birds, delivering a desirable evaluate of the biology and background of British owls.
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Extra resources for Owls (Collins New Naturalist Library, Volume 125)
Sample text
They breathe air with their lungs and suckle their young with milk. They even have belly-buttons! Bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus , Whales close their blowhole when under water. As they surface they release a spout of air—a blow—before taking another breath. BLOWHOLES No whale, dolphin, or porpoise can breathe under water. They breathe air— but not through a nose and not through their mouth. Whales and dolphins choose when they want to take a breath. This means they cannot go to sleep. Instead, they shut down half their brain at a time, resting one half, then the other.
They include lemurs, bushbabies, and lorises. MAMMALS I like to dance and leap. Verreaux’s sifaka (Propithecus verreauxi) is a species of lemur that spends lots of time on the ground as well as in trees. It takes great strides and springs through the air at speed as if it were dancing. Babies have to hold on tight! u LONG FINGER The aye-aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis) lives in Madagascar. It taps on trees with its long middle finger then listens for insects moving under the bark. If anything is there, it rips off the bark with its teeth and hooks out the victims with its finger.
WELL-DEVELOPED NOSES Most insectivores, such as desmans, have poor eyesight but a good sense of smell, with snouts ideal for sniffing out insects. Aardvarks also have a good sense of smell. They have a piglike snout and nostrils surrounded with hair to filter out dust. FACTFILE MOLES ■ Moles live in Europe, Asia, and North America. They live in underground tunnels that they dig with their powerful front legs. Their eyesight is poor but they have an acute sense of smell. ■ Hedgehogs live only in Europe, Africa, and Asia.