Name ___________________________
_______________________________
Period
Virtual Owl Pellet Dissection Web Quest
 Go to http://www.kidwings.com/index.htm
 Click on the 'Owl Pellet Dissection' on the Left side column, at the top of the list.
 Click on 'Pellet Information"
What is a Pellet?
1. Since birds do not have ________________, they can't _____________ their food.
2. Birds use their strong and sharp _________________ to rip their prey apart and then
swallow large chunks whole.
3. The owl separates the softer material such as ____________________ from the harder
material such as _____________________.
4. The owl regurgitates the harder material with indigestible items such as ______________
and _______________.
5. The regurgitated material is called a _____________________.
How Do Pellets Form?
1. Owls are __________________________ and eat a wide variety of animals including
__________________________________________________________________ (name at
least 4).
2. Digestible materials travel through the ____________________ ______________.
3. Materials that can't be digested are formed into a round _________________.
4. The pellet is formed inside the __________________________ and stored in the
proventriculus for several hours.
5. Before the owl can eat another meal is must __________________________ the pellet.
What is Inside a Pellet?
1. Owl pellets mostly contain _________________
2. Depending on if the owl ate a bird or rodent the pellet will contain
____________________ or ____________________.
3. ________________________ pellets contain seeds, exoskeletons of insects and plant
stalks.
4. Sometimes there are non-food items such as ________________________ and
________________________.
Are Pellets Important?
1.
Regurgitating an owl pellet may seem like an uncomfortable process but it is actually
__________________.
2. It is believed to help clean the upper part of the _______________________
____________________, or esophagus.
3. Birds that are captured and fed by humans are called _______________________
______________________.
4. The captive raptors that are fed whole food, such as a mouse, are healthier than those
that are given boneless meat
NEXT:
 Click the BIRDS NEST icon
at the bottom of the page to go back.
 Click on 'Pellet Directions', and read through the directions.
 Click on the 'Virtual Owl Pellet' and start dissecting!
When you finish the Owl Pellet, click on "More Pellets" at the top of the
page and find 3 more bird pellets to investigate!
Which other 3 pellets did
you dissect?
1.
2.
3.
Give one fact about each pellet.