This project proposes a multi-year, worldwide project to resolve foundational aspects of taxonomy and conservation for the world’s owls.
Work under this project is focused on six tasks:
Develop scientifically robust inventory techniques for locating owls and their nests;
Analyze the molecular systematics and phylogeny of owls using basically mtDNA but also ncDNA;
Acquire high-quality recordings of owl vocalizations, to assist in species identification;
Conduct analysis of the morphological aspects on new owl taxa found, to assist in identification;
Refine maps of owl species distributions;
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.