Owl Guides
References for North and Central American Owls

Books on Owls

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 This book was previously rated Top Birding Book of the Year and reasonably so. Volume 5 covers Owls to Hummingbirds. The photographs, text and plates are excellent. This was an invaluable reference to the writing of this site. Some of the most current information about all the owls of the world, their classifications and an excellent coverage of the natural history and biology of each bird. This is one of the books that should be a part of all serious birders collection or just a wonderful book for all nature lovers. This is the most current of the first five in the set.

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North American Owls : Biology and Natural History
by Paul A. Johnsgard

 If you are interested in North American Owls, this book is an absolute must! Johnsgard has written the most thorough coverage of the North American Owls available. This is an outstanding reference and goes with me every time I go owling. Another critical book and invaluable resource to the creation of this site. This book not only covers the range, habits, breeding, movements... for each owl, it has some of the best write-ups for vocalizations to be found. The comparative Biology of Owls in the first part of the book is also an excellent and critical part to really understanding everything from an owl's sight, and how it differs between each species, to their habitats, ranges, densities.... you name it. No serious birders library is complete without this book.

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How to Spot an Owl
by Patricia Sutton, Clay Sutton

 This book is written in two parts with the first part giving some of the basics to owling and the second more detail about each of the North American Owls. The Suttons are a "married couple naturalist team". The book is filled with many of their wonderful experiences while looking for owls. Part 1 of their book goes through many of the basics for owling for both day and night. It covers what signs to look for, when, where, what you need and how to look for an owl. This first half does a good job at giving a "ground floor" knowledge of owling. Part 2 goes through each owl individually, what they've seen, the owl's habitat and traits. Each of the owls are a bit different, the Sutton's go through this and tell how to find each species along with some of their own experiences. This is an excellent starter book for finding owls. The Suttons have done a very good job here to get you started finding and enjoying the North American Owls.

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Midwest Book Review: Written in a style that bird watchers of any level of expertise can understand and enjoy, Owls By Day And Night provides information on all the owls of the United States and Canada. The great differences in personalities and habits of owls is introduced. Even experts are likely to learn a few facts on the status of the rare species. The text of this authoritative and detailed owl study is a valuable supplement to the more general field guides, for it tells how to find owls, by day or night, and how to identify species once they are spotted. All eighteen species of owls are covered with a life-like color plate. No ornithology reference book collection can be considered complete without the inclusion of Owls By Day And Night! 

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Jeffrey Whiting's Owls of North America 
Whiting's Reference of Birds, Vol 1

 This reference, the first in a series by Whiting that will depict all of North America's breeding bird species. From Book News, Inc. : " Artist/naturalist Whiting invited various painters and sculptors to contribute naturalistic depictions of owls; full-page reproductions of their works comprise the first section. The second section contains Whiting's extraordinary ink drawings and paintings which were created to provide the viewer with the next best thing to a study skin. These paintings were made with meticulous reference to specimens and to photographs (from books, and taken by Whiting himself) and are unmatched in their beauty, accuracy, and ease of interpretation. The illustrations are accompanied by text describing habitat and other particulars of each type of owl, as well as giving general information."