OWLS of the WORLD

(*** FULL, email to get onto waiting list ***)

This workshop offers a glimpse into the lives of some of the world’s most mysterious and elusive birds. We will focus strongly on owls: Tytonidae (barn owls: 19 species) and Strigidae (typical owls: 221 species). The workshop will provide a brief overview of other nocturnal families: Podargidae (frogmouths: 16 species), Steatornithidae (oilbird: 1 species), Nyctibilidae (potoos: 7 species), Caprimulgidae (nightjars: 98 species) and Aegothelidae (owlet-nightjars: 10 species). Owls are cryptically plumaged, difficult to observe, and they have captured the attention of folk lore around the world. Nonetheless, we know rather little about them. As a testament to the mystery surrounding these birds, the number of known species has increased by 80% since the mid-1970s and this is mostly due to species splits resulting from increased understanding of song and genetic differences. We will discuss the evolution, taxonomy, adaptation, distribution, natural history and conservation of the world’s owls with a little more detail on Manitoba’s 12 owl species.