Denver Holt

OrganizationEmailPhoneAddressCharlo , Montana 59824United StatesBioDenver Holt is a wildlife researcher and graduate of the University of Montana. He is founder and president of the Owl Research Institute, a nonprofit organization located in Charlo, Montana. As a dedicated field researcher, Holt believes that long-term field studies are the primary means to understanding trends in wildlife populations.

Since 1978, Holt’s research focus has been owls and their ecology. He has published over 100 papers and technical documents, including four species accounts for the Birds of North America project. He was team leader for the Strigidae Family owl species accounts for The Handbook of the Birds of the World, volume 5, covering 189 species of the world’s owls. In collaboration with elementary school teachers, he has co-authored two children’s science books on owls: "Owls Whoo Are They", and "Snowy Owls Whoo Are They". In 2006, he was a chapter author on owls for the book "Arctic Wings", highlighting the birds of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska. The forward was written by former United States President, Jimmy Carter.

In 2000, he was named Montana's Wildlife Biologist of the Year, by the Wildlife Society of North America. Holt’s research was the cover story for National Geographic Magazine in December 2002. His work has been subject of television bites on ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, and Disney. His owl research has also been featured on Audubon's Up-Close Series, PBS's Bird Watch, and David Attenborough's Life of Birds, among others. His research on Snowy Owls has been showcased in documentaries for National Geographic Explorer, NHK Natural History Unit of Japan, and the Norwegian Broadcasting Company Natural History Unit. His Snowy Owl research was also featured in the British Broadcasting Company’s (BBC) documentary series Frozen Earth, a sequel to the Planet Earth series.

In May 2011, Holt’s research was featured in the New York Times. In 2011, Holt also advised and worked in the field with a PBS Documentary team, filming "The Magic of the Snowy Owl" at his research site in Barrow, Alaska. in 2012, he was inducted into the World Owl Hall of Fame. In 2021, Hakai Magazine featured Holt’s 30 years of research on Snowy Owls and in 2022 he gave his first TED talk.

When not researching owls, Holt is involved in wildlife watching tourism as a natural history tour guide and co-owner of Wild Planet Nature Tours. He also guides private natural history tours, and is a part-time trip leader for Victor Emanuel Nature Tour Company, one of the largest nature tour company in the world.

Interests

Life Science

Science Specialties

ornithology, mammalogy, ecology

Current Research

Examining the predator-prey relationship between brown lemmings and their populations fluctuations, and snowly owl breeding biology, and other life history traits.
Long-term research and monitoring of owls.