Acknowledgments -- Introduction : Owl addiction -- Anatomy of an owl -- Paleocene origins -- WMDs : weapons of mouse destruction -- On wings that whisper -- Colors that disguise -- Fretting with feathers -- Son et lumière -- Sound advice -- handicap of darkness -- eyes of owls -- nocturnal syndrome -- Haunts and hideaways -- From tundra and taiga to mountains and marshlands -- Floaters -- Hot and cold weather woes -- Roost rewards -- Fleeing from winter -- Owl invasions -- owlish appetite -- Foods that fight back -- Pellet diaries -- Hunting techniques -- Hoarding for hard times -- Family life -- Who gives a hoot? -- Courtship conduct -- House hunting -- cloacal kiss -- Oology -- tedium of incubation -- Sexual dimorphism : the great debate -- next generation -- Early chick life -- Asynchronous hatching : a strategy -- Life in the nest -- Roamers, branchers, and homebodies -- young and the restless -- Predators, pirates, and pests -- Kleptoparasitism -- call to arms -- Owls and humans -- HIPPO -- Appendix : Scientific names of plants and animals -- References -- Index.