Owls of the World: the state of knowledge on the threshold of the 21st century. - G. Kopij. - Berkut. 18 (1-2). 2009. - P. 72-76.
An attempt is made to quantify the present knowledge on all owl species in the world. This quantification is based on the bibliometric analysis of literature for the years 1971–2000. The Wildlife & Ecology Studies Worldwide (WESW) has been used for this analysis. By far, the best known owl species are the Tawny Owl and the Barn Owl. A group of frequently studied species of owls (100–600 papers) include the Long-eared Owl, Tengmalm’s Owl, European Eagle Owl, Spotted Owl, Short-eared Owl, Great Horned Owl, Great Grey Owl, Little Owl, Eastern Common Screech Owl, Snowy Owl, Barred Owl, Northern Saw-whet Owl, Eurasian Pygmy Owl, Hawk Owl and Ural Owl. All these species occur in the Holarctic region. In tropical regions of the world, there are only seven owl species, which are fairly well-studied (20–30 publications); all others are little known (each species with less than 20 publications). Regional monographs on owls and monographs on particular owl species are listed.
Key words: owls, Strigiformes, bibliography, bibliometrics.
Address: G. Kopij, Department of Vertebrate Ecology, Wrocław University of Environmental & Life Sciences, ul. Kożuchowska 5b, 51-631 Wrocław, Poland; e-mail: grzegorz.kopij@up.wroc.pl.