Owls - ambassadors for the protection of nature in their changing landscapes Although through the centuries many owl species have benefited from the activity of people, nowadays, many species are locally or even globally under threat from intensified human impact on their landscapes. Destruction of natural habitats, forestry practices, changes of land use in agricultural areas, and increased infrastructure contribute substantially to population declines of owls. In addition, insecticides and rodenticides limit the amount of food available and may cause secondary poisoning. The problems facing owls are not at all solely theirs, as they affect many creatures that share their living space. Many animal species will thus benefit from owl conservation efforts. Conservation hinges on a thorough understanding of owl biology and interactions within ecosystems in which the owls live. The gain and spread of scientific knowledge and the exchange of experiences regarding owl-related nature protection projects are very important in achieving conservation objectives. This volume of Ardea offers a superb collection of papers on owl biology and conservation as presented during the fourth World Owl Conference held in Groningen, The Netherlands.

list of papers below

The Netherlands Ornithologists Union uses the following salesprices inclusive postage for the WOC Proceedings: --Shipment within the Netherlands Euro 20.00 . --Shipment within Europe Euro 25.00 . --Shipment outsides Europe Euro 30.00 . Two copies cost only Euro 15.00 more expensive because their is no additional postage cost. The cost of orders for more than 2 copies are depending of the number and the destination. Payment can be done via Credit Card (VISA or Mastercard) at 5% administration cost. Copies are sent after receipt of payment on the basis of the invoice sent to the purchaser. Special issues can be ordered by sending an email to: ping@nou.nu (mentioning the number of copies requested, your address and preferred way of paying). For any questions please consult ping@nou.nu. After sending an email, payment can be made by credit card or to our account: ING bank account 125347 to the Netherlands Ornithologist Union, Akelei 42, 4102 JM Culemborg, The Netherlands (BIC: PSTBNL21, IBAN: NL16INGB0000125347). Check here if subscription to Ardea is rewarding for you (new subscribers receive the latest special issue for free).

Volume 97 (4)

Braga A.C.R. & Motta-Junior J.C. (2009) Weather conditions and moon phase influence on Tropical Screech Owl and Burrowing Owl detection by playback. ARDEA 97 (4): 395 - 401.	[abstract] [samenvatting] [free copy]
Johnson D.H., Van Nieuwenhuyse D. & Génot J-C. (2009) Survey protocol for the Little Owl Athene noctua. ARDEA 97 (4): 403 - 412.	[abstract] [samenvatting] [free copy]
Kinstler K.A. (2009) Great Horned Owl Bubo virginianus vocalizations and associated behaviours. ARDEA 97 (4): 413 - 420.	[abstract] [samenvatting] [free copy]
Leech D.I., Shawyer C.R., Barimore C.J. & Crick H.Q.P. (2009) The Barn Owl Monitoring Programme: establishing a protocol to assess temporal and spatial variation in productivity at a national scale. ARDEA 97 (4): 421 - 428.	[abstract] [samenvatting] [free copy]
Warburton T. (2009) The Philippine Owl Conservation Programme: why is it needed? ARDEA 97 (4): 429 - 438.	[abstract] [samenvatting] [free copy]
Block B. (2009) Long-term research of population density and trends of Long-eared Owls Asio otus in Brandenburg, Germany. ARDEA 97 (4): 439 - 443.	[abstract] [samenvatting] [free copy]
de Jong J. (2009) The recovery of the Barn Owl Tyto alba in Friesland, northern Netherlands: population growth in relation to landscape features. ARDEA 97 (4): 445 - 452.	[abstract] [samenvatting] [free copy]
Koning F.J., Koning H.J. & Baeyens G. (2009) Long-term study on relationships between Tawny Owl Strix aluco, Jackdaw Corvus monedula and Goshawk Accipiter gentilis in a Dutch dune reserve. ARDEA 97 (4): 453 - 456.	[abstract] [samenvatting] [free copy]
Leadprathom K., Chimchome V. & Bumrungsri S. (2009) Nesting ecology of the Collared Scops Owl Otus lettia in Thailand. ARDEA 97 (4): 457 - 461.	[abstract] [samenvatting] [free copy]
Meyrom K., Motro Y., Leshem Y., Aviel S., Izhaki I., Argyle F. & Charter M. (2009) Nest-box use by the Barn Owl Tyto alba in a biological pest control program in the Beit She'an valley, Israel. ARDEA 97 (4): 463 - 467.	[abstract] [samenvatting] [free copy]
Saurola P. (2009) Bad news and good news: population changes of Finnish owls during 1982–2007. ARDEA 97 (4): 469 - 482.	[abstract] [samenvatting] [free copy]
Bashta A.-T. (2009) Ural Owl Strix uralensis population dynamics and range expansion in western Ukraine. ARDEA 97 (4): 483 - 487.	[abstract] [samenvatting] [free copy]
Duncan J.R., Swengel S.R. & Swengel A.B. (2009) Correlations of Northern Saw-whet Owl Aegolius acadicus calling indices from surveys in southern Wisconsin, USA with owl and small mammal surveys in Manitoba, Canada, 1986–2006. ARDEA 97 (4): 489 - 496.	[abstract] [samenvatting] [free copy]
Lauff R.F. (2009) First nest records of the Boreal Owl Aegolius funereus in Nova Scotia, Canada. ARDEA 97 (4): 497 - 502.	[abstract] [samenvatting] [free copy]
Shehab A.H. & Johnson D.H. (2009) Distribution of owls in Syria. ARDEA 97 (4): 503 - 514.	[abstract] [samenvatting] [free copy]
Solheim R., Bekken J., Bjørnstad R., Bye F.N., Hagen T.K., Isaksen K. & Strøm H. (2009) Ural Owls Strix uralensis at the border line: nesting places are not a limiting factor. ARDEA 97 (4): 515 - 518.	[abstract] [samenvatting] [free copy]
Tumurbat J., Sundev G. & Yosef R. (2009) Nest site and food composition of the Eagle Owl Bubo bubo in Mongolia. ARDEA 97 (4): 519 - 523.	[abstract] [samenvatting] [free copy]
Artuso C. (2009) Breeding and population density of the Eastern Screech Owl Megascops asio at the northern periphery of its range. ARDEA 97 (4): 525 - 533.	[abstract] [samenvatting] [free copy]
Denac K. (2009) Habitat selection of Eurasian Scops Owl Otus scops on the northern border of its range in Europe. ARDEA 97 (4): 535 - 540.	[abstract] [samenvatting] [free copy]
Grzywaczewski G. (2009) Home range size and habitat use of the Little Owl Athene noctua in East Poland. ARDEA 97 (4): 541 - 545.	[abstract] [samenvatting] [free copy]
Holsegård-Rasmussen M.H., Sunde P., Thorup K., Jacobsen L.B., Ottesen N., Svenne S. & Rahbek C. (2009) Variation in working effort in Danish Little Owls Athene noctua. ARDEA 97 (4): 547 - 554.	[abstract] [samenvatting] [free copy]
Holt D.W., Maples M.T., Petersen-Parret J.L., Korti M., Seidensticker M. & Gray K. (2009) Characteristics of nest mounds used by Snowy Owls in Barrow, Alaska, with conservation and management implications. ARDEA 97 (4): 555 - 561.	[abstract] [samenvatting] [free copy]
Tutiš V., Radović D., Ćiković D., Barišić S. & Kralj J. (2009) Distribution, density and habitat relationships of the Ural Owl Strix uralensis macroura in Croatia. ARDEA 97 (4): 563 - 570.	[abstract] [samenvatting] [free copy]
Cieślak M. & Kwieciński Z. (2009) Moult and breeding of captive Northern Hawk Owls Surnia ulula. ARDEA 97 (4): 571 - 579.	[abstract] [samenvatting] [free copy]
Wink M., El-Sayed A.-A., Sauer-Gürth H. & Gonzalez J. (2009) Molecular phylogeny of owls (Strigiformes) inferred from DNA sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome b and the nuclear RAG-1 gene. ARDEA 97 (4): 581 - 591.	[abstract] [samenvatting] [free copy]
Holt D.W., Paulson A. & Romero M. (2009) Corticosterone as a measure of stress in nest-bound and nest-departed Long-eared Owl Asio otus chicks. ARDEA 97 (4): 593 - 596.	[abstract] [samenvatting] [free copy]
Solheim R. (2009) Age, sex and size of dead Tawny Owls Strix aluco found during a winter famine in 2006. ARDEA 97 (4): 597 - 601.	[abstract] [samenvatting] [free copy]
Romero L.M., Holt D.W. & Petersen J.L. (2009) Flushing effects and seasonal changes on corticosterone levels in adult Long-Eared Owls Asio otus. ARDEA 97 (4): 603 - 608.	[abstract] [samenvatting] [free copy]
van den Burg A.B. (2009) Limitations of owl reproduction in the wild: is there a role for food quality besides quantity? ARDEA 97 (4): 609 - 614.	[abstract] [samenvatting] [free copy]
Birrer S. (2009) Synthesis of 312 studies on the diet of the Long-eared Owl Asio otus. ARDEA 97 (4): 615 - 624.	[abstract] [samenvatting] [free copy]
Bontzorlos V.A., Peris S.J., Vlachos C.G. & Bakaloudis D.E. (2009) Barn Owl Tyto alba prey in Thessaly, and evaluation of Barn Owl diets throughout Greece. ARDEA 97 (4): 625 - 630.	[abstract] [samenvatting] [free copy]
Khaleghizadeh A., Arbabi T., Noori G., Javidkar M. & Shahriari A. (2009) Diet of wintering Long-eared Owls Asio otus in Zabol, Southeastern Iran. ARDEA 97 (4): 631 - 633.	[abstract] [samenvatting] [free copy]
Taylor I.R. (2009) How owls select their prey: a study of Barn Owls Tyto alba and their small mammal prey. ARDEA 97 (4): 635 - 644.	[abstract] [samenvatting] [free copy]
Project reviews (2009) . ARDEA 97 (4): 645 - 649.	[free copy]