REVIEW: What an Owl Knows: The New Science of the World's Most Enigmatic Birds by Jennifer Ackerman (4 stars)

Jennifer Ackerman’s "What an Owl Knows" is a compelling exploration of owl biology, behavior, and conservation. I’m so glad I switched from print to audiobook—Ackerman narrates it herself and does her level best to imitate the owl calls she describes throughout the book. It adds a layer of charm and immersion that print couldn’t offer.

The book focuses heavily on conservation efforts like banding, census tracking, and public education. Ackerman emphasizes the ecological value of owls and how dispelling harmful superstitions can protect them. In Serbia, for example, urban owl colonies are now protected by the community after extensive education campaigns. She also discusses the legal and practical challenges of caring for owls. In the U.S., people can get licenses to care for owls for educational or raptor use, but the government wildlife agency still “owns” and can “recall” the owl at any time. In England, it’s legal to sell bred owls, and after the Harry Potter films, demand surged. Many people adopted owls and later abandoned them, leading to the creation of owl-specific rescues for these human-habituated birds.

Ackerman touches on owl territoriality, migration, nesting, and mating habits. She mentions cannibalism among owl chicks—stronger siblings eating weaker ones, or a parent feeding a dead owlet to its siblings—but doesn’t go into survival odds. My bird expert friend, who has two owls, told me that the chances of a baby owl surviving its first year are incredibly low. For red-tailed hawks, it’s even worse: only one in five make it to their second year.

She also talks about training owls, including their use in the Harry Potter films, and compares their trainability to cats. My owl expert friend describes owls as “cat software, bird hardware,” which feels exactly right.

While listening to the book, I learned that in the jungles of Indonesia, people use owl hoots to communicate across distances. That night, I heard owl hooting outside my window, along with a strange whistle. Half-asleep, I thought it was human ne’er-do-wells using owl calls as code. I shouted out the window, “NICE TRY! There are no owls in this neighborhood!” As I did so, I woke up fully and realized—those were actual owls. I recorded the sounds and sent them to my owl expert friend, who confirmed it was a Great Horned Owl parent and baby, probably out hunting together.

Ackerman also weaves in folklore, like Athena’s association with owls and the Egyptian hieroglyph for the letter “M” being an owl. Throughout the book, she’s clear about what it means to rescue and care for owls, and how little we truly understand about how birds think. It’s a fascinating read that whets my appetite for more information about birds. 

REVIEW: What an Owl Knows: The New Science of the World's Most Enigmatic Birds by Jennifer Ackerman 

RATING: 4 stars

© Jennifer R Clark. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. You may share and adapt this content with proper attribution.