Become a Pellet Detective by studying Barn Owl Pellets
DOWNLOAD a Pellet Detectives Information Leaflet
We’re pleased to say we’re BACK IN STOCK of the popular Barn Owl Pellets we sell for dissection - each one a fascinating exploration that engages young minds on a voyage of natural history discovery.
What is an Owl Pellet?
Owls are carnivores that eat animals such as birds, rodents, rabbits, frogs, and insects. Lacking teeth, they swallow prey whole or tear it into chunks with their beaks. Soft parts are digested in the gizzard, while indigestible material like bones, hair, and feathers is regurgitated as a soft, odourless pellet — not passed as droppings
Why Study Owl Pellets?
Owls often sit at the top of their food chain and play a key ecological role. Studying Owl pellets offers valuable insights into their diet and habitat. The individual pellets are sterilised with heat to ensure they are safe at home or in the classroom. They are also sorted for quality and size to make sure that each pellet provides an interesting and educational experience. Each pellet is completely unique and they are not artificially filled or tampered with during their preparation.
Each pellet order will come with a complimentary Bone Identification Chart and Worksheet to help you get the most from this engaging experience together with a copy of the “Stonham Screecher” Newsletter & Quiz Sheet. The pellets cost £3.50 each. Tweezers are available separately at £0.25p each and extra work sheets at £0.15p each.
There is a £5 P&P charge for your complete order irrespective of the number of pellets, leaflets or tweezers included. Please note we can only dispatch orders outside of the UK by prior arrangement - please email info@owlhelp.org.uk for a quotation stating your country and number of pellets required.
Pellet Dissection Equipment
Bone Identification Charts
Pen and card - for recording findings
Ruler – for measuring pellets
Tweezers and cocktail sticks (or similar) – for extracting bones from the fur
Magnifying glass – to help identify the bones
Small pot with water and a mild disinfectant for cleaning extracted items
Paper towels – for absorbing excess water
A shallow dish or newspaper - to dissect the pellet on
Strong glue – to attach bones to labelled card
Optional thin rubber gloves to ensure hygiene whilst handling pellets
Remember : wash hands after handling owl pellets and their contents!
Looking at the Inside of a Barn Owl Pellet
Pellets can be dissected when they are dry, but are sometimes a little stubborn. Often it helps just to soak them for about half an hour beforehand and then pat them dry with paper towels.
Write your name and the date on a clean piece of card
Using the tweezers and a cocktail stick, tease the pellets apart
With the tweezers, carefully remove anything you find, clean it up and dry it on a paper towel
Match each item you remove with the Bone Identification Chart
Stick the items you have found on to your clean piece of card, carefully labelling each part as you do so. Remember to write the name of the prey on the card, once you are sure what it is - you may need more than one piece of card, if you think you have found more than one type of prey!
There may be other things that you find inside your pellet, such as parts of insects or the quills of bird feathers. Make a note of these somewhere on your chart. All of these things can provide you with useful information.
Remember, all birds and animals have a preferred habitat and feeding habits, so finding out more about the owl’s prey will help you to discover more about the owl.
Now that you have dissected your pellet and carefully organised what you have found, see if you can answer the questions below.
What did this owl eat; did the pellet contain more than one type of prey?
Was this owl’s main prey Vegetarian?
Can you work out, from the type of prey, whether this owl hunts at night or during the day?
Does the type of prey give you any clues about where this owl hunts?
See if you can construct a food chain using all the information you have gathered. Where is the owl most likely to be in your food chain
Some things to think about
What would happen if one of the creatures in your food chain disappeared? What effect might it have on the other members of the food chain. What could happen to the local environment?
How might your food chain be affected if the local habitat was damaged or destroyed? Could this have any consequences outside of the local habitat?