Proceedings of the 2017 World Owl Conference

The 5th Edition of the World Owl Conference (WOC) - Owls in Science and Society was held in Évora, Portugal, between 26 and 30 September 2017, organized by LabOr – Laboratory of Ornithology (ICAAM – currently MED, University of Évora), with the Global Owl Project and the International Owl Center, in partnership with SPEA (Birdlife Portugal) and STRI (ALDEIA). This conference brings the opportunity to gather owl researchers from five continents to present and discuss the most significant advances in owl studies in the most diverse scientific fields (ecology, genetics, conservation, among others) but also to debate emerging technologies for owl research, conservation and monitoring. In Évora, this event was attended by approximately 150 participants from 30 countries. This special issue of AIRO is dedicated to compile original research and achievements presented at the WOC 2017, highlighting the key role that owls play in ecosystems while raising awareness for their conservation. All of these papers were refereed and selected in accordance with the usual editorial standards of the journal