How does an owl pellet form?

Catching the prey…

Before an owl pellet can start to be formed, the owl must first catch its prey.

Owls are carnivores and eat a wide variety of animals including: birds, moles, mice, shrews, rabbits, skunks, frogs, and much more.

Swallowing the prey…

Owls cannot chew their food because they don’t have any teeth.

They must swallow their food whole or tear it up into large chunks first using their talons.

Owl swallowing mouse

Digestion Process

After an owl swallows its meal, it travels down the esophagus…

Through the proventriculus o Glandular stomach

o where enzymes and acids begin digestion

And into the gizzard o Muscular stomach

In the gizzard…

The meal is separated into two parts.

1. The parts that ARE digestible o Soft parts (organs)o These parts continue on through the digestive tract to the

small and large intestine and the waste is eventually excreted.

2. The parts that ARE NOT digestible. o bones, fur, teeth, and feathers

o They are formed into a rounded pellet.

Holding the pellet

After the gizzard has formed the pellet, it then pushes the pellet back up into the proventriculus (glandular stomach)

The pellet is stored here for up to 10 hours.

Before the owl can eat another meal it must first get rid of (regurgitate) the pellet!

The pellet would be blocking the next meal from going to the gizzard if it didn’t get rid of it.

Regurgitation

The final step for the owl is to regurgitate the

pellet.

While the owl is regurgitating the pellet, it looks like it is having difficulty breathing.

It shows a pained expression, closes its eyes and ejects!

It’s time to dissect your own owl pellet!

What will you find?