Cover -- CONTENTS -- PREFACE -- INTRODUCTION -- What Is an Owl? -- Owls in California and the West -- AN OWL'S BODY -- An Owl's Head -- Senses -- Vision -- Hearing -- Touch -- Voice -- Skeleton and Legs -- Wings -- Feathers -- Silent Flight -- Thermoregulation -- Plumage -- Hygiene -- Parasites -- Deconstructing a Mouse -- Digestive System -- Pellet Analysis -- AN OWL'S LIFE -- Predators and Predator Avoidance -- Predators of Owls -- Going Undetected -- Mobbing -- Defensive Behavior -- Hunting and Eating -- Feeding -- Owl Foods -- Owl Ecology -- Reproduction -- Territoriality -- Pair Formation and Courtship -- Nests and Eggs -- Young and Their Care -- Dispersal and Migration -- FINDING AND WATCHING OWLS -- Finding Owls -- When to Look for Owls -- Where to Look for Owls -- Direct Evidence: Songs, Calls, and Deceptions -- Circumstantial Evidence -- Finding Owl Nests -- Watching Owls -- Owl Photography -- Owl Identification -- OWLS AND HUMANS -- Attitudes Past and Present -- Native Californians and Owls -- Owls in the Modern World -- The Barn Owl Industries -- Owl Conservation -- Owls in Trouble -- Hazards to All Owls -- Living with Owls -- Nest Boxes -- Wildlife Rehabilitation -- SPECIES ACCOUNTS -- Overview -- Identification Key -- Range Maps -- Barn Owl -- Flammulated Owl -- Western Screech-Owl -- Eastern Screech-Owl -- Whiskered Screech-Owl -- Great Horned Owl -- Snowy Owl -- Northern Hawk Owl -- Northern Pygmy-Owl -- Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl -- Elf Owl -- Burrowing Owl -- Spotted Owl -- Barred Owl -- Great Gray Owl -- Long-eared Owl -- Short-eared Owl -- Boreal Owl -- Northern Saw-whet Owl -- Glossary -- References -- Index -- Additional Captions.