Have you ever learned something new and just wanted to know more and more about it? That’s exactly how Squeaks and I felt when we started learning about owls. We were curious about everything, especially what they eat and how they eat it. So, we decided to find out!
Owls are fascinating creatures, and their diet includes small animals like rodents, rabbits, shrews, and sometimes even other birds. This is how they get their energy. But unlike us, owls don’t cook their food or use utensils. They don’t even have teeth to chew their food!
Owls have a unique way of eating. They swallow their prey whole! They might use their beaks to break it up a little, but they swallow everything, even the parts they can’t digest, like bones, teeth, fur, and feathers.
Owls, like all birds, have a special part of their digestive system called the gizzard. The gizzard helps them filter out the parts they can’t digest. The gizzard compacts these indigestible parts into a small pellet. When the gizzard is full, the owl spits out this pellet. This pellet is known as an owl pellet.
Scientists love to study owl pellets because they reveal what the owl has eaten. We decided to dissect some owl pellets to see for ourselves. Dissecting means carefully cutting open something to learn more about it.
We got our owl pellets from a science lab, along with a bone chart to help us identify what we find. As we dissected the pellets, we discovered some amazing things! We found a pelvic bone of a shrew, a scapula of a mole, and even a rodent’s skull with its teeth still visible.
From our dissection, we learned that the owl had eaten a rodent, a shrew, and a mole. It was so exciting to see what the owl had eaten just by looking at the bones in the pellet!
If you’re curious about what else we might find in other owl pellets, stay tuned! And if you have topics you’re eager to learn more about, let us know. Grab a grown-up and send us an email at [email protected]. We can’t wait to explore more with you!
Owl Pellet Exploration: With the help of a grown-up, try to find an owl pellet kit online or at a local science store. Once you have your kit, carefully dissect the pellet using the tools provided. Use a bone chart to identify the different bones you find. Can you figure out what the owl ate? Write down or draw the bones you discover and share your findings with your friends or family.
Create a Food Chain Collage: Gather some old magazines, newspapers, or printouts. Cut out pictures of animals that owls might eat, like mice, rabbits, or small birds. Then, find pictures of owls. Create a collage by gluing these pictures onto a piece of paper to show the food chain. Discuss with a friend or family member how each animal is connected in the food chain.
Owl Observation Journal: Start an “Owl Observation Journal” where you can write or draw about any owls you might see or learn about. If you can’t see any owls in real life, watch videos or read books about them. Write down interesting facts about their eating habits, habitats, or any other cool things you learn. Share your journal with your class or family to teach them about owls too!
