The Global Owl Project (GLOW)

This project is a long-term, worldwide project to advance foundational aspects of science and conservation for the world’s owls.

Work under this project is focused on seven tasks:

1. Develop scientifically-robust survey & monitoring techniques for the world's owls;
2. Analyze the molecular systematics and phylogeny of owls using basically mtDNA but also ncDNA;
3. Acquire high-quality recordings of owl vocalizations, to assist in species identification & surveys;
4. Compile original descriptions & photographs of extant & fossil owls, & an e-library of literature on the species; 
5. Refine maps of owl species distributions & conduct global owl diversity analyses;
6. Assess Owls in Lore and Culture through interviews & literature;
7. Distribute project information via internet pages, publications, and symposia to a very wide audience, including national and international biodiversity programs.

Entire Briefing Paper - Read the proposal for this project in detail

Owl Description Citation List - These citations reflect the original descriptions of owl species and subspecies as they were newly reported to science, starting with Linneaus in 1758.

Originally published in the Ornithologist and Oologist magazine in 1889, we wryly offer a poem that seems particularly fitting for this scientific endeavour:

Kind reader, we call to your careful attention,
This wonderful growth of a modern invention,
Lord knows where we'll end if this craze increases,
Such a trotting out yearly of created SUBSPECIES.

DNA Analysis Protocol - Blood Treatment for Avian DNA Analysis.

DNA Required - Species we still require DNA samples for.

Survey Techniques for the World's Owls - Fundamentals to conservation - a questionnaire.