According to ancient folklore in the West, the owl is considered a wise, silent and solitary bird of prey associated with lunar deities - symbols of wisdom, wiser even than the eagle - the totem ...

In “The Wise Hours: A Journey Into the Wild and Secret World of Owls,” first published in the U.K. in 2018 as “Owl Sense,” Miriam Darlington resists what she calls the blandification of owls.