Download How does an owl pellet form?

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
o
Soft parts (organs)
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?