‘Absorbing and exquisitely researched. Ackerman guides the reader around the world, carefully unpacking what it means to be an owl, and examining the human relationship with these oft-misunderstood birds.’
Jonathan Slaght, author of Owls of the Eastern Ice
‘A fascinating study of a captivating bird. I learnt something new on every page. Ackerman’s book is a wonderful synthesis of ethology, wonder, and passion for her subject.’
James Macdonald Lockhart, author of Wild Air
‘With their largely nocturnal lifestyles, cryptic plumage and wary nature, owls can be difficult to locate, let alone study. But in recent years, discoveries about these mysterious and otherworldly birds have come thick and fast as radio trackers, infrared cameras, drones, audio lures, DNA analysis and even specially trained sniffer dogs have joined more traditional methods in unlocking their secrets. What an Owl Knows is an accessible, highly readable tour of these discoveries by Jennifer Ackerman.’
Melissa Harrison, The Times
‘Ackerman, a frequent contributor to National Geographic and the Smithsonian, is an intrepid reporter, hacking her way through dense undergrowth in Montana to find northern pygmy owls or getting covered in red dirt setting traps for burrowing owls in southern Brazil … At night, where I live in Herefordshire, we often hear a barn owl hooting in a stand of pine trees behind the house. It’s an eerie, mysterious sound that never fails to enchant. And it is this enchantment that is at the core of this charming, deeply researched book.’
Simon Worrall, The Guardian
‘Ackerman’s love for these birds is totally infectious … Long may they continue to fly through the darkness.’
Daily Mail
‘A more hardheaded assessment of owls, as well as of owl worship ... Ultimately, Ackerman concludes that owls do not warrant their storied eminence as recondite knowledge keepers.’
Rebecca Giggs, The Atlantic
‘A must-read for all bird lovers, Ackerman’s latest engaging work contains a feast of revelations about creatures that have fascinated us throughout human history.’
The Observer
‘[A]n immersive and immensely satisfying exploration of the lives of owls … [Ackerman] weaves together extensive scientific research, interviews with experts and snippets of travelogue into pleasurable reading … Ackerman pays homage to owl researchers around the world by detailing the laborious and at times physically dangerous nature of their field work … Ackerman’s mastery is in demonstrating the interconnectedness of living things, including human beings and owls. A soaring achievement, What an Owl Knows is the kind of book that will encourage readers to look up with keen-eyed curiosity and wonder.’
The Saturday Paper
‘Ackerman (our smartest bird writer) should do for hooting what a wave of octopus books did for slithering.’
Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune
‘An absorbing ear-tuft-to-tail appreciation of the raptor that Mary Oliver, a poet, called a “god of plunge and blood”.‘
The Economist
‘Important … The knowledge Ackerman marshals so skillfully comes from devoted ornithologists, and they are rightly honoured too … [What an Owl Knows] extends our circle of care … It all feels liberating, and has never been more urgent.’
New Statesman
‘Her treatise on this species of bird … outlines the latest research surrounding the creature but also its disproportionate cultural influence … Ackerman’s account brings a sense of enchantment and wonder to this intriguing, complex animal, one that exerts an especially powerful pull on our psyche and culture.’
Tanveer Ahmed, Australian Financial Review
‘A scientific investigation rich in narrative detail. Her writing is at its most compelling when she lets her own delight and surprise at the birds slip through.’
Corryn Wetzel, New Scientist
‘In this masterful survey, nature writer Ackerman (The Bird Way) explores the physiology and behaviour of owls. She provides an overview of owls’ intelligence, evolution, mating strategies, nest-building abilities, and communication skills, relating how variations in owl calls allow the birds to express “their needs and desires” and convey “highly specific information about their individual identity, and their sex, size, weight, and state of mind” … There’s fascinating trivia on every page (owls perform “sophisticated mathematical computations” to pinpoint prey by sound, and some owl attacks on humans may be attempts to play), making for a revelatory glimpse into the lives of the “enigmatic’ raptors. Bird lovers will be enthralled.’
Publishers Weekly, starred review
‘There have been numerous books on the natural history of owls written for nonexperts, but Jennifer Ackerman’s What an Owl Knows takes a novel tack, blending natural history and scientific discovery with a discussion of recent technological innovations. The result is a fascinating read on how scientists are beginning to better understand the lives and ecology of these secretive and rarely visible birds … Although written for nonexperts, this book will be of interest to scientists from a broad array of disciplines, from neurobiology to general ecology.’
Alan B. Franklin, Science
‘Ackerman’s book serves as something of a comprehensive overview of owls, covering a wide range of topics from an owl’s unique biology, the way they breed and raise owlets, how they speak and communicate with each other (and humans!), where they fit in our superstition and stories, and of course the question posed in the title: how ‘wise’ really is an owl? … By consulting so many different people, all with their own fields of expertise, Ackerman fills each page with expert knowledge and facts that are sure to fascinate even those who think they already know everything about owls … Combine that with Ackerman’s prose, which is smooth and full of flavour, and this becomes a book that is heavy with wisdom, but light as a feather to read. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in owls or birds at large, no matter how much you know or don’t know already..’
Annie Mills, The AU Review
‘An enchanting guide.’
People
‘The award-winning science writer dives into the mysterious world of owls … Ackerman shares recent discoveries by researchers using new tools and technologies as well as her personal observations from the field … This book, like Ackerman’s others, is well written and researched, and the author offers sound advice from experts regarding what individuals can do to help save owls. Fascinating food for thought for owl seekers and sure to please any lover of immersive treks into the lives of birds.’
Kirkus Reviews, starred review
‘Always eloquent and engaging … Ackerman’s latest vivid and compelling narrative is enlivened by her own passion for owls and her excitement over discoveries in the wild that show that, for humans, owls continue to be full of surprises.’
Booklist, starred review
‘Bestselling author and passionate bird advocate Jennifer Ackerman goes around the world to find out why owls so intrigue humans in her wide-ranging and wonderful new book … She explores this question with her trademark thoroughness and care, leading readers on an in-depth tour through the extraordinary world of owls. Scientists, field researchers, academics and volunteers serve as dedicated guides, as eager as the author to share knowledge and admiration in hopes of inspiring others to protect these special birds … [E]difying and immersive.’
BookPage, starred review
‘[H]er explanations accentuate, rather than diminish, the wonder of owls. She weaves in strands of knowledge drawn from recent owl research carried out by an endearing cast of committed scientists and splendidly obsessed volunteers. Ackerman provides a highly accessible account of all aspects of the lives of owls.’
The Conversation
‘Ackerman’s book is predictable, although every bit as glowingly readable as everything else she’s written ... Owls endlessly fascinate humans; owls can befriend humans; owls certainly need the conservation help of humans. They can look us straight in the eyes, and they very much warrant a book as thoughtful and engrossing as this one, another great bird-book from Ackerman.’
Steve Donoghue, Open Letters Review
‘A captivating and in places touching science narrative, this book is a hoot from beginning to end … Ackerman carefully balances these two facets: the scientific insights that she has carefully distilled from research papers and interviews, and the personal stories of those who study and love owls. As a result, What an Owl Knows is compulsively readable and readily accessible for those who lack a scientific background in ornithology.’
The Inquisitive Biologist
‘[Ackerman] invites us on her quest to discover why owls enthral us so much. She achieves this in a lyrical and easily digestible way … fascinating … Ackerman knows how to hold the reader's attention … We should all definitely give more of a hoot about their future.’
Country Life
‘In What an Owl Knows, [Ackerman] reports on the latest owl studies, joins owl-hunters and owl-rescuers, and looks at the way humans have responded to owls over the centuries … Ackerman records a lot of scientific research in detail, especially related to the owls’ sight and hearing, but she is also interested in the way owls ‘speak’ to each other, their nesting habits, and the way they deal with human disturbance of their habitats … Owls, however, have remarkable behaviour, hunting skills, sensory powers and a hint of magic, which this book sets out to reveal.’
Newtown Review of Books
‘Owls have fascinated and captivated humans for centuries … As Jennifer Ackerman points out in her interesting book, owls reside on every continent, apart from Antarctica, and number over 270 different species … In What an Owl Knows she combines a rich biological history of owls, which draws on modern scientific research, with reflections on their hold on human imagination. Recommended.’
Jeff Popple, Canberra Weekly
‘Jennifer Ackerman explores the fascinating scientific research into owls’ brains and behaviour, adding her own field observations and revealing the hidden realities of our shared world.’
Gardening Australia
Praise for The Bird Way:
‘In The Bird Way, Jennifer Ackerman digs deeper and ranges farther into bird behaviour, pulling tasty stories out of rich ground as she hops across the continents … Like a bowerbird, Ms Ackerman gathers and displays treasures to amaze and delight — then lets the scientists’ stories take centre stage … Refreshingly, Ackerman spotlights a number of female researchers.’
The Wall Street Journal
Praise for The Bird Way:
‘[A]n exploration of “surprising and sometimes alarming behaviour” of everyday avian activity … Extreme behaviour reveals insights and new perspectives on birds’ adaptation abilities and flexibility of mind. Ackerman is a smooth writer; her presentation of ideas is deft, and her anecdotes are consistently engaging … Ackerman demonstrates bird science as an evolving discipline that is consistently fascinating, and she offers brilliant discussions of the use of smell, long overlooked but indeed deployed for navigation; courtship signals; predator avoidance, and, not surprisingly, locating food … A brightly original book sure to please any nature lover.’
Kirkus Reviews, starred review
Praise for The Bird Way:
‘A brilliant synthesis of bird behaviour research … What makes Ackerman’s book a joy to read is not just the stories she tells, but her vivid writing style … If there’s one thing Ackerman’s illuminating book makes clear, it’s that there is no single way to be a bird. Her opus is a celebration of the sheer diversity of avian behaviours, practices, predilections and the birds she writes about are “iconoclasts and rule breakers” and remain “layered in mystery”. It is this decision to focus on birds’ idiosyncrasies, to resist generalisations and categorisations, to break down assumptions about bird behaviour, and to show how “individual birds are every bit as distinctive as we humans are” that makes this book so remarkable.’
Birding
Praise for The Genius of Birds:
‘The Genius of Birds offers an often awe-inspiring tour … made the more affecting by the elegance and beauty of [Ackerman’s] language … a fascinating book.’
The Sydney Morning Herald
