Amy Knupp Popular Books
Amy Knupp Biography & Facts
The barred owl (Strix varia), also known as the northern barred owl, striped owl or, more informally, hoot owl or eight-hooter owl, is a North American large species of owl. A member of the true owl family, Strigidae, they belong to the genus Strix, which is also the origin of the family's name under Linnaean taxonomy. Barred owls are largely native to eastern North America, but have expanded their range to the west coast of North America where they are considered invasive. Mature forests are their preferred habitat, but they can also acclimatise to various gradients of open woodlands. Their diet consists mainly of small mammals, but this species is an opportunistic predator and is known to prey upon other small vertebrates such as birds, reptiles, and amphibians, as well as a variety of invertebrates. Barred owls are brown to gray overall, with dark striping on the underside. Barred owls have typical nesting habits for a true owl, tending to raise a relatively small brood often in a tree hollow or snag (but sometimes also in other nesting sites) in forested areas. As a result of the barred owl's westward expansion, the species has begun to encroach on the range of the related and threatened spotted owl (Strix occidentalis). Evidence shows the assorted threats posed by the invading barred species are only increasing. In response, biologists have recommended culling operations to mitigate the negative effect of the barred on the spotted owl species. Basics The barred owl was first described by Philadelphia naturalist Benjamin Smith Barton in 1799. The species was named due to the varied directions the dusky markings take on their underside. The barred owl is roughly intermediate in size between the larger Ural and the smaller tawny owl, but the structural features of its relatively short and decurved claws more so resemble the tawny species as does their dietary and habitat ecology. The spotted owl has been hypothesized to be within a superspecies with the barred owl. However, genetic testing reveals very early divergence (likely at or near their ancestor's entry to North America) between spotted and barred owls. A fossil species once called Strix brea from the early Pleistocene in California does little to resolve the ancestry of modern species, given its ambiguous relation to any living Strix. The fossil species was larger (more similar in size and slenderness to the spotted owl, albeit with a slightly smaller skull and geographically isolated from that species) and longer-legged than either the spotted and barred owls, and is now considered to be in a separate genus, Oraristrix. Pleistocene era fossils of probable barred owls are known from Florida, Tennessee and Ontario. Subspecies The subspecies of the barred owl vary mostly by region, with slight to moderate variation by coloring, size and extent of feathering on the toes. Although several have been described in the past, the barred owl may include only three subspecies, subsequent to the separation of the fulvous and cinereous forms. S. v. varia (Barton, 1799): The northern barred owl. This race lives throughout the Northeastern United States and the Upper Midwest, ranging as far south as Oklahoma, the Carolinas and northern Georgia. It is also considered to comprise all western "invader" birds found as far west as California and British Columbia. However, genetic study of westerly birds show a substantial isolation, possibly up to the subspecific level, of the western and eastern populations of the northern owls, with an estimated divergence of around 7,000 years, perhaps indicating an unknown history of the species in remote forests of northern and central Canada (far west of what was considered their original distribution) that radiated more recently to comprise the western populations. This race is generally the typical mid gray-brown variety of barred owl. However, a paler variation with very washed out markings and a more pure whitish base color is known (in eastern Canada such as Quebec), formerly considered a race S. v. albescens, as well as darker and browner variation in northern Minnesota (formerly S. v. brunnescens). This race is fairly large (described as the largest race on average with the probable separation of the cinereous owl). The wing chord and tail length may measure from 312 to 340 mm (12.3 to 13.4 in) and 215 to 230 mm (8.5 to 9.1 in) in males and 320 to 352 mm (12.6 to 13.9 in) and 224 to 257 mm (8.8 to 10.1 in) in females. One nominate bird had a tarsus length of 63.5 mm (2.50 in) and the culmen from the cere may measure 23.5 to 30 mm (0.93 to 1.18 in). S. v. georgica (Latham, 1801): The southern barred owl or, alternately, the Florida barred owl. This subspecies is found in southern North Carolina closer to the coast along to broadly through Georgia and all of Florida. This is the smallest of the three subspecies on average. Known wing chord lengths can vary from 315 to 357 mm (12.4 to 14.1 in). Tail length is 205 to 231 mm (8.1 to 9.1 in) and the bill from the cere is 23 to 28 mm (0.91 to 1.10 in). Males in Florida were found to weigh from 681 to 800 g (1.501 to 1.764 lb), with averages in two samples of 718 and 744 g (1.583 and 1.640 lb), while two females weighed 850 and 875 g (1.874 and 1.929 lb), respectively. It therefore appears to show less pronounced sexual dimorphism than the northern barred owl race. S. v. helveola (Bangs, 1899): The Texas barred owl. Comprises most barred owls found in Texas. The distributional range is considered to range as far north as Lee County, east to Chambers County, west to Kerr County and south to Nueces County. In this race, the ground coloration tends to pale gingery-cream and the back and head tend to be a pale brown ranging into an almost cinnamon color. The toes can vary from rather bare to slightly bristled. This race is similar to other barred owls in size, perhaps averaging marginally smaller than those in the nominate race, but its bill and feet are larger on average than the preceding two races. Description The barred owl is considered somewhat subdued and drab in coloration compared to the sometimes rich coloring of other sympatric owls. Overall, this owl is greyish-brown or brown. The brownish color extends from the head to the back. Barred owls are scalloped with white bars on the mantle and the back, bearing as well some whitish spotting on the wing coverts. The underside has a pale creamy gray-brown base color (ranging into dirty white in the palest individuals) overlaid about the throat and upper chest with horizontal, slightly crescent-shaped barring (hence its common name), while the belly is boldly streaked in a vertical pattern. The streaking is usually blackish, dusky brown, or sometimes rufescent- (reddish-) brown. The head is fairly large (although not especially so for a species in Strix) and rounded with no ear tufts. The facial disc is pale grayish-brown with darker yet subtle concentric lines. The bill is pa.... Discover the Amy Knupp popular books. 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Best Seller Amy Knupp Books of 2024
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Heat of the Night
Amy Knupp“An exceptional romance! I truly fell in love with the characters who were so lifelike.” Reader review Opposites might attract, but what happens when one night brings a lifelong c...
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Friends to Forever
Amy KnuppFriends to Forever includes three steamy friendstolovers stories by USA Today Best Selling Author Amy Knupp. True Blue: When Gabe North’s best friend, Lexie Gallagher, is left at t...
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North Brothers Books 1-3
Amy Knupp"The North brothers have captivated my heart!"5 star reader review Meet five bachelor brothers and the women who bring them to their knees in this USA Today BestSelling series! Thi...
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Ignited
Amy KnuppIgnited blurb Ignited is a collection of three standalone novels in the Island Fire series, including Firestorm, Afterburn, and Up in Flames. FIRESTORM Sh...
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Undone
Amy KnuppWhen you come undone, sometimes the only way to find yourself is to go back home… Ava I was about to land my dream writing job when I hit a plot twist. See, I inherited a f...
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True Blue
Amy KnuppShe was jilted on her wedding day. He’s the best friend waiting in the wings. Lexie Gallagher is starting to think she’s better off alone. Her family fell apart years ago. Her rela...
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North Brothers Books 4-5
Amy Knupp“The North Brothers series is awesome!”5 star reader review Meet five bachelor brothers and the women who bring them to their knees in this USA Today BestSelling series! This set i...
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North Brothers the Complete Series
Amy KnuppA fake date with his gorgeous boss, a brother’s best friend as a roommate, a best friend who’s yearslong crush gets left at the altar, a fouryearold secret, and a fighter pilot who...
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Sweet Spot
Amy Knupp“If you’re looking for a story with a sense of humor about love and overcoming adversity, looking to the future, great friendships and community, look no further.”Reader review ...
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Impulse
Amy KnuppOne mistake could derail his promising future.Wild nights are a thing of Dr. Sawyer Culver’s pastand a rare thing, at that. So why, when he’s on the verge of finally doing his fami...
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Sparked
Amy Knupp“Plan to be captivated, because once you start this series you won’t be satisfied with just one book.”Reader review A troubled firefighter and the childhood friend determined to he...
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Soft Spot
Amy Knupp“Amy Knupp has fast worked her way into my top 3 authors.” Reader review It’s all fun and games until the sexy CEO wants to know her secrets… Asia Knowles’ life has been on a downh...
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Flash Point
Amy KnuppHer secret connects them in a way he’s never imagined. Becoming an ER doctor is the second hardest thing Rachel Culver has ever done. The hardest was losing her beloved twin sister...
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True Harmony
Amy KnuppHe’s all business all the time. Now he’s suddenly a dad. Fiddle player Eliza Bancroft had to improvise after an unplanned pregnancy four years ago. Instead of pursuing her dream of...
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Unraveled
Amy KnuppNothing unravels a fake relationship faster than real feelings. Chloe Holden Henry’s my best friend. I’m also hopelessly in love with him. In a big, unrequited way. So, when he of...
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True Hero
Amy KnuppA onenight fling won’t change anything, right? After suffering a terrible loss, fighter pilot Zane North walks away from his military career and returns home to start a new lifeone...
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Sweet Dreams
Amy KnuppKennedy Lowell finally got the guy, got the job, got the life she was afraid to go after…sort of. Turns out the guy is distracted by his career, the job has its bad days, and life,...
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Fire Within
Amy KnuppNearly dying can make a girl want things she’s never wanted before.Environmental engineer/architect Sophie Alexander’s life blueprints have always centered on being solo, professio...
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Slow Burn
Amy KnuppThey’ve both dug their roots deep…eight hundred miles apart. Zoe Griffin has a fresh new lifea hardearned doctorate degree and a burgeoning nutritionist practice in Colorado. The o...
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Playing with Fire
Amy KnuppShe’s secretly burned for him for years. Derek Severson left his career as a firefighter after tragedy shook him to his soul. Running his uncle’s beachside bar on a south Texa...
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Unexpected
Amy KnuppWho says love can’t show up on your doorstep, completely unexpected? Quincy I have a plan, and it doesn’t include falling for the older, hot single dad who convinced ...
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Working It
Amy KnuppWorking It includes three workplace romance stories by USA Today BestSelling Author Amy Knupp. Sweet Spot: After derailing her life to epic proportions, Kennedy Lowell takes r...
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True North
Amy KnuppIt might be a fake date, but what if he’s not faking it? Loner Cole North has always been the odd guy out. His IQ is skyhigh, but he’s not so bright when it comes to people or rela...
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Up in Flames
Amy KnuppShe cost him his career. He's got no plans to give her a second chance. Firefighting is everything for Penn Griffinhis job, his family, and his friends. When a hurricane roar...
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Unsung
Amy KnuppNo one can outrun a scandal…or true love… Everly Everyone thinks they know me. Joke’s on them. I don’t even know myself these days. What I do know is that I need time away f...
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Heartstrings
Amy Knupp“This story of Gin and Tucker sucked me in on page one and did not let go.”Reader review A distraction could cost him everything… Country music is singersongwriter Tucker Steele’s ...
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Fully Involved
Amy Knupp“An exciting and powerful story that will keep you interested throughout.” Reader review He's a single dad fighting for custody. Her secret past could jeopardize everything. ...
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It Happened on Hale Street
Amy Knupp“I highly recommend all the Hale Street books!”5 star reader review Welcome to Hale Street, where everyday people discover love, friendship, and the power of cupcakes. This set inc...
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Enflamed
Amy KnuppEnflamed is a collection of four standalone stories in the Island Fire series, including Flash Point, Fire Within, Impulse, and Slow Burn. Flash Point: ER doctor Rachel Culver’s an...
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One and Only
Amy Knupp“This is a great story with wonderful, believable characters. Highly recommended!”Reader review Secondbest will never be good enough for her. Drummer Micah Sullivan lost his music ...
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Last First Kiss
Amy Knupp“I loved this book. Once I started I couldn’t stop!”Reader review Her best friend’s brother is the last guy who could give her what she dreams of…but the only one she wants. Obgyn ...
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Firestorm
Amy Knupp“There was no way I was putting this thing down until I hit the very last page!” Reader review The worst way to prove herself on the job would be to fall for her captain. Firefight...
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Singled Out
Amy KnuppFormer quarterback and high school football coach Max Dawson has done his share of scrambling, but never as much as when he becomes default dad to his late cousin’s baby boy. When ...
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True Colors
Amy KnuppNot much bothers him…until his best friend’s little sister moves to town. Carefree personal trainer Drake North is long on charm and short on connections that do more than skim the...
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Afterburn
Amy Knupp“Knupp has quickly become a mustread author for me with her talented writing, easy, readable style, lovable characters and compelling storylines.”Reader review He’s jaded and hellb...