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BookReviews Australian High CountryOwls byJerryOlsen Publisher: CSIROPublishing, Collingwood,2012. 376pages,paperback, colourphotographs. ISBN:9780643097056. RRP$69.95 Owls have an uncanny ability to intrigue us, whether through their regular nightly rituals, particularlyduringtheirbreedingseason, their persistent calling in the depths of the night, their elusiveness (causing subsequent frustra- tion on our part while trying to find them) or simplybecauseoftheirmysteryandawe.Owls, forwhateverreason,holdaveryspecialplacein theheartsofmanypeople. Aspublicawarenessaboutowlsincreases,sodo thequestionsaboutthesecrypticcreatures.Jerry Olsen,through hisbookAustralian High Coun- try Owls, has provided extensive information andknowledge onboth Australianandinterna- tional owlspecies. The366pagebookprovides detailed accounts from Jerry’s own experiences aswellasincorporatingrelevantscientificlitera- ture. Thebook focuses primarilyon Australian Ninox species and how these compare to their international counterparts. This comparison high quality and certainly provides further in- is extremely valuable, as highlighted in Jerry’s sights into the mystery associated with these preface, because much ofthe owl research un- birds. dertaken in Australiaisbased on protocols and ThefinalsectionofthebookistitledWallacea datainterpretationfromoverseas. andprovides a detailed account ofowls on the The book contains 41 chapters, all ofwhich islandofSumbaandthediscoveryofanewowl are verywellwritten andeasyto read. Thefirst species,theLittleSumba Hawk-owl. An exten- few chapters contain essential background sive reference list is also provided along with information such as what an owl is, owl tax- appendices on Australian owls and rehabilitat- onomy, in particular Ninox species followed inginjuredororphanedowls. bythe Southern Boobook as aNinox example. Jerry Olsen is one ofAustralia’s leading owl After providing background information such researchers and has many years ofexperience as this, the book delves into the many aspects working with these birds. This expertise and ofstudying owls, includinghow to locate, trap experience shines throughout this book, with and handle these often difficult creatures on interestingandaccurateinformation. Thebook which toundertakeresearch! is a must have for anyone interested in learn- Detailedinformationandaccountsofdietand ing more about these mysterious and amazing hunting, breeding and conservation are also creatures. provided.Thesesectionsare extremelyvaluable astheydrawheavilyonboththescientificlitera- tureandtheauthor’s own researchexperiences. DrRayleneCooke Summary tables, figures and photographs are SchoolofLifeandEnvironmentalSciences well used to provide information andhighlight DeakinUniversity-MelbourneCampus visual points. The photography is ofextremely 221BBuurrwwooooddHViicgh3w1a33y 62 TheVictorianNaturalist