The Owl Who Liked Sitting on Caesar (31 page)

Real trees and free-range mice: Mumble in her new home in Sussex. ‘It was not just that her living space was much larger; her surroundings were unimaginably different from her cage on the seventh-floor balcony. For the first time … she found herself at ground level amongst living greenery.’

Tim Birkhead,
Bird Sense: What It’s Like to Be a Bird
(Bloomsbury, 2012)

John A. Burton,
Owls of the World: Their Evolution, Structure and Ecology
(Peter Lowe, 1973)

Michael Everett,
A Natural History of Owls
(Hamlyn, 1977)

G. J. M. Hirons, ‘The effects of territorial behaviour on the stability and dispersion of Tawny owl (
Strix aluco
) populations’, in
Journal of Zoology
, Vol. 1, No. 1 (August 1985), pp. 21–48

Eric Hosking and Dr Jim Flegg,
Eric Hosking’s Owls
(Pelham Books, 1982)

Graham Martin,
Birds by Night
(Poyzer, 1990)

H. N. Southern, ‘Natural control of a population of tawny owls’, in
Journal of Zoology
, Vol. 162, No. 2 (October 1970), pp. 197–285

H. N. Southern, R. Vaughan and R. C. Muir, ‘The Behaviour of Young Tawny Owls after Fledging’, in
Bird Study
, 1:3 (1954), pp. 101–110

John Sparks and Tony Soper,
Owls
(David & Charles, 1970)

Paul Thomas, ‘Getting Wise’, in
Radio Times
(BBC, 22–28 January 1983)

A. A. Wardhaugh,
Owls of Britain and Europe
(Blandford Press, 1983)

www.owlpages.com/articles

www.owls.org

www.davidnorman.org.uk

www.javierblasco.arrakis.es

www.raptorfoundation.org.uk

The page references in this index correspond to the printed edition from which this ebook was created. To find a specific word or phrase from the index, please use the search feature of your ebook reader.

anatomy 176–92, 196–201

air circulation system 181

beak 186–8

ears 189–92

eyes 182–6

feathers 101, 191, 196–9, 200, 202–3, 205

skeleton 176–80, 199–201

wings 100, 101, 201–4

animals

feelings of 305–6

human relationship with 302–3

taming wild 26–7, 30–31

Apache warriors 67

Arab folklore 70

Archaeopterix
54

Athene noctua see
Little Owl

Australia 66, 303

Australopithecus afarensis
(‘Lucy’) 55

Barn Owl (
Tyto alba
) 60, 62, 63

characteristics 45–6

habitat 116

hearing 122

population 114–15

vision 120

wings 202

‘bat-walking’ 247–8

bathing 164–7, 263

‘bating off’ 42–3

birds

birds of prey 7, 135, 227

chickens 187

European robin 194

evolution 54–6, 58, 179

game birds 135

kiwi 187

migration 194

picking up birds 227

pigeons 119, 187, 194, 195, 289–90

small birds 282–3

smell, sense of 187

starlings 187

see also
species (owls)

Blakiston’s Fish Owl 60, 62

blind kills 190

bones 180

‘branching’ behaviour 81, 129

breathing 181–2

broody behaviour 168–9

Brown Owl
see
Tawny Owl

cadge 33

Caesar, Germanicus (bust of) 225–6

calls
see
vocal repertoire

car journeys 51, 153–4

characteristics of owls 59

Chaucer 70

China 55, 70

diet 61–2

prey animals supply 131

supplement 150

Tawny Owl 117–18, 134

see also
feeding

digestion process 212, 214

drinking 211

droppings 77–8, 213–14

Eagle Owl 60

ears 189–92

see also
hearing

earthworms 283

eggs 47–8, 128

Elf Owl 60

Europe, medieval 66

evolution

birds 54–6, 58, 179

humans 56–7

owls 55–6

Tawny Owl 56, 58

excreting waste (slicing) 213–14

eyes 182–6

see also
vision

falconry 20, 23–4

farming 114

feathers 101, 191, 196–9, 200, 202–3, 205

feeding

Mumble 80, 150, 208–211, 243, 252, 253

Wellington 30, 39, 42

see also
diet

feet 199–201

field perches 65

flight feathers 202–3

floor-walking 93

flying 84, 98–101, 169–71, 203

see also
wings

folklore 65–70

game birds 135

games, Mumble’s 142, 158, 162, 223–5

ghost stories 72–3

Goldsmith, Oliver 70

Grass owls 60

Greece, ancient 65–6

grooming 216–21

habitats 60–61, 63–4, 116–17

Hampshire 72

heads, moving 191, 218

hearing 122–4, 189–92

Homo erectus
56–7

Homo habilis
56

Homo neanderthalenis
57

Homo sapiens
57

‘hoot and head-shot’ (HHS) routine 250, 251, 252

hooting
see
vocal repertoire

houseplants 224–5

humans

attitudes towards owls 46, 64–71, 135–6

evolution 56–7

relationships with animals 302–3

hunting 61–2, 101, 118

killing prey 190, 201, 283–7, 289–90

Mumble 261

Tawny Owl 118, 127, 133

India 67

insects 221–3

jesses 27–9

John of Guildford 66

Jones, Robert 69

juvenile owls 130, 134

see also
owlets

legal protection, birds of prey 7, 135

legs 199–201

life expectancy 137

Little Owl (
Athene noctua
) 25–6, 62, 63

see also
Wellington

living quarters

Mumble 77, 236

Wellington 29, 33–7

Long-Eared Owl 62, 63, 64

‘Lucy’ (
Australopithecus afarensis
) 55

lungs 181

magnetic field 194

mantling pose 102

mating 124–7

Merlin 66

migration 61, 62, 63, 194

Minerva 68

‘mobbing’ 282–3

Mongolians 66

mortality rates 131–3, 136

moulting 229–30, 247, 258–66

Mumble (Tawny Owl)

acquired 47–51

appearance 168, 186, 194–7, 199, 204, 265

in autumn 267–8

‘bat-walking’ 247–8

bathing 164–7, 263

‘branching’ behaviour 81

broody behaviour 168–9

car journeys 51, 86, 153–4

and cat 281–2, 288

and children 294–5

country living 242, 274, 279–81

death 14, 300–302

domestic arrangements 77–82, 95–6, 147, 244–5

drinking 211

droppings 77–8

escape and return 103–8

evenings 92

facial appearance 168, 186

feeding 80, 150, 208–211, 243, 252, 253

floor-walking 93

flying 84, 98–101

games 142, 158, 162, 223–5

grooming 216–21

‘hoot and head-shot’ (HHS) routine 250, 251, 252

houseplants, destruction of 224–5

hunting 261

and insects 221–3

killing 283–7, 289–90

landings 99–100, 142

legal identity 76

living quarters 36, 77, 236, 242

mantling pose 102

mood-swings, seasonal 247, 259–60, 267–9

mornings 89–92

moulting 229–30, 247, 258–66

observing her world 221

and other owls 144–8, 154–5

perches 78, 81, 226

and pigeons 195, 289–90

plumage 83, 217

preening, mutual 89, 91–2, 228–9, 260–1

and shoes, 94–5

‘shooting gallery’ 141–2

and small birds 282–3

in spring 254–7

stretching 215–16

suitors 144–8

in summer 258–66

sunbathing 167–8

territorial behaviour 155–8

table lamps, destruction of 223–4

toys 94–5

and typewriter 158–62

and visitors 13, 140–44, 156–8, 227

vocal repertoire 81–2, 85, 96–7, 148–9

weight gain 230–31

‘whistling war-dance’ (WWD) 251, 252

in winter 247–54, 269, 275–9

see also
anatomy; Mumble and MW; Tawny Owl

Mumble and MW

first meeting 51

greetings 89, 226–7

relationship 11–13, 87–8, 108–9, 270, 293, 306–7

routines 11–12, 89–92, 226–9

Native Americans 66

neck 177, 179, 191

Nelson, Admiral 25

nesting 65, 127–8

nocturnal owl species 61

Old Testament, Bible 68

owlets 7–8, 48, 128–33

see also
juvenile owls

pair bonds 306

Pallas Athene 66, 68

pelleting 212, 214–15

perches 33, 65, 78, 81, 226

picking up birds 227

pigeons 119, 187, 194, 195, 289–90

Pliny the Elder 68–9

plumage

feathers 101, 191, 196–9, 200, 202–3, 205

Mumble 83, 217

Tawny Owl 112–13

population 113, 114–15

power-to-weight ratio 180

predators 71, 124, 132

preen (uropygial) gland 219–20

preening 89, 91–2, 205, 228–9, 260

prey animals, supply of 131

protecting birds of prey 7, 135

Protostrix
55

Pygmy Owl 60

rearing young 124–31

rodents 65, 114, 117, 123

Romans 68–9

roosting 196

Screech Owl
see
Barn Owl

senses, integrating all 192–4

sexing owls 48

Shakespeare 69

shawl feathers 197, 205

Short-Eared Owl 62, 63, 187, 202

shrews 117, 123

skeleton 176–80, 199–201

‘slicing’ (excreting waste) 213–14

smell, sense of 186–7

Snowy Owl 62

sound-location 190–91

sounds
see
vocal repertoire

species (owls) 59–62

Barn owls 60

Blakiston’s Fish Owl 60, 62

Eagle Owl 60

Elf Owl 60

Grass owls 60

Little Owl 24–5, 62, 63

Long-Eared Owl 62, 63, 64

Pygmy Owl 60

Short-Eared Owl 62, 63, 187, 202

Snowy Owl 62

see also
Barn Owl; Tawny Owl

Spenser, Edmund 69

starlings 187

stretching 215–16

Strigidae
56, 60

Strigiformes
59

Strix aluco see
Tawny Owl

suitors 144–8

sunbathing 167–8

superstition 65

Sussex 232–8

Sweden 134

syrinx 188

tail feathers 198

talons 200–201

Tatars 66

Tawny Owl (
Strix aluco
; Brown Owl) 112–13, 115–20, 123–37

breathing 181–2

in Britain 62

characteristics 46–7, 112

diet 117–18, 134

distribution 112

droppings 77

eggs 47–8, 128

evolution 56, 58

habitat 64, 116–17

heads, rotation 218

hearing 122

hunting 118, 127, 133

juvenile 130, 134

killed by humans 136

life expectancy 137

mating 124–7

mortality 131–3, 136

moulting 259

nests 127–8

owlets 48, 128–33

pair bonds 306

plumage 112–13

population 113, 115

rearing young 124–31

territories 115–16, 127, 134

vision 119–22, 184

vocal repertoire 72, 113, 125, 133

in winter 275

see also
anatomy; Mumble

territories 115–16, 127, 134, 155–8

tongue 188

toque 195, 196, 217, 218

toys 88, 94–5

Tyto alba see
Barn Owl

Tytonidae
60

urbanization 72

uropygial (preen) gland 219–20

Vautor, Thomas 70

vision 119–22, 182–6, 187

visitors 13, 140–44, 156–8, 227

vocal repertoire 59

Mumble 81–2, 85, 96–7, 148–9

syrinx 188

Tawny Owl 72, 113, 125, 133

walking 93

Water Farm 18–19, 23, 50

Wellington (Little Owl)

acquired 24

‘bating off’ 42–3

escape 44

feeding 30, 39, 42

jesses 27

living quarters 29, 33–7

taming 31–3

Welsh folklore 70

‘whistling war-dance’ (WWD) 251, 252

Willimot, Joane 68

wings 201–4

see also
flying

winter 247–54, 269, 275–9

wisdom, owls’ reputation for 65

witch’s accomplice, owls’ reputation as 68

Xiaotingia
55

Yorkshire 67

Martin Windrow is a military historian and author, and the long-time military editor of Osprey Publishing. He is a Member of the British Commission for Military History, an Associate of the Royal Historical Society and of the Foreign Legion Association of Great Britain. He lives in East Sussex.