Owl pellets are available for purchase for $3 each plus shipping.
To order, please email
What are pellets?
Pellets are small, oval-shaped objects, containing the undigested parts of the birds’ food which are ejected through the mouth. Pellets do not pass through the intestine of birds and are quite different from droppings. They do not smell, and are not unpleasant to work with. They consist of things like bones, teeth, claws, beaks, insect parts, and seed husks. These are usually enclosed by softer material like fur, feathers, and vegetable fibre.
Why study pellets?
- We can identify precisely what the bird has been feeding on.
- We can get clues to the owl’s hunting habits from the prey it has taken.
- We can estimate the numbers of different kinds of prey it takes.
- If we find out more about the prey animals, we learn a great deal about food chains and the exact part the owl plays in them.
- We can get a great deal of information about the different small mammals and where they are found.