Learn why you should definitely give a hoot about owl pellets — and what makes them a fascinating part of an owl's day-to-day life.
All About Owl Pellets and Where to Find Them
Published on Oct. 29, 2024
On This Page
What Are Owl Pellets?
A tight ball of fur and bones lies in the leaf litter under the evergreens—a telltale sign that an owl is nearby. The nocturnal raptors cough up these grisly artifacts at their roosts once a day. After snatching up a rodent or fellow bird, they swallow their prey whole, squeezing together the indigestible bits in their gizzard and discarding what’s called an “owl pellet.” Or in other words, owl puke.
Birds like hawks, kites, herons and cormorants can cast pellets too, says Eres Gomez, the research coordinator for the Urban Bird Project in San Antonio, Texas. But owls make a habit of it, given their fuzzy, crunchy diets. In fact, you might be able to identify the exact owl species based on the contents of a pellet.
“Small owls like the elf owl mostly eat insects, so their pellets are generally drier and more compact. They also may be differently colored than the pellets of owls that eat rodents, which are usually brown or gray like the fur of their prey,” explains Nicholas Lund, the advocacy and outreach manager for Maine Audubon and author of The Birdist blog.
You need to know these fascinating owl facts.
What Can You Learn from Owl Pellets?
And there are other clues hidden in the indigestible treasures beyond “who’s who.” Both Eres and Nicholas note that pellets can be invaluable for studying food availability and the well-being of individual birds.
“We can learn a lot from looking specifically at the bones, especially the skull, which can help identify which exact rodent, reptile, amphibian or bird species was last consumed by that owl,” Eres says.
“It can also give an understanding of a raptor’s relative abundance” or “shed light on forest health” through comparison, Nicholas shares. “Are there fewer of a certain prey item in one location or another? How can owls of the same species survive in different habitats by varying their diets?”
Where to Find Owl Pellets
While you’d need to be an expert to probe the big conservation questions, anyone can dissect owl pellets to grow their fascination with the natural world. You just have to know how to source them, says Eres. “It’s extremely difficult to find them in the wild, even for biologists and researchers who strategically search for them. You would be lucky if you did.”
For best results, comb the ground under active roosting sites or nest boxes. You can pinpoint a spot by listening for calls and looking for whitewash (owl poop) on tree trunks. Just be sure to give the birds a wide berth and leave the area undisturbed, especially in breeding season.
If you’re having a tough time scrounging for pellets outdoors, it’s perfectly okay to order them online. Eres recommends using a reputable vendor that collects them from captive animals (usually barn owls) at zoos or rehabilitation centers and sanitizes the pieces so they’re safe to handle. Host a pellet party for your birding family and friends, and repurpose the morbid bounty for jewelry, decorations or art. Over time, you’ll get better at reading the bones and recognizing one owl’s telltale vomit from another.
Learn how to identify a great horned owl.
Is it Legal to Own Owl Pellets?
Under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, it’s illegal to gather, buy or sell owl parts in the United States and Canada. That includes feathers and bones—but not pellets because they’re largely made up of other animals.
Businesses that produce consumer-grade pellets need permission from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to handle birds, wild or captive. Some states also have specific permits for scientists, educators and other professionals, so remember to check the local laws before going on a collecting spree.
Next, find out if owl sightings have special meaning?
About the Experts
Eres Gomez serves as research coordinator for the Urban Bird Project in San Antonio, Texas. She earned a bachelor of arts in humanities and master of science in environmental science from the University of Texas at San Antonio. She has researched the effects of rodent poisons on raptors, and she has also assisted in raptor rehabilitation.
Nicholas Lund is the advocacy and outreach manager for Maine Audubon and the author of The Birdist blog. He has written several books, including the American Birding Association’s Field Guide to Birds of Maine. His articles appear on Maine Audubon’s website, the National Audubon Society’s website, and his blog.
Sources
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology, “What Are Owl Pellets?“
- International Owl Center, “Dissecting Owl Pellets“
