Warm Up: Read the passage and
answer the questions on the back. This
will be your exit ticket.
Essential Question: How do we
determine what animals eat?
Agenda




Warm Up Review
Owl Notes
Owl Video
Review Lab
OWL PELLET NOTES
What is an owl pellet?


Owls eat their food
whole.
Owls have no teeth,
so they cannot chew.
They use their strong
beaks to tear prey
and swallow it whole.


The owl digests its meal by separating the softer
materials (meat) from the bones.
It regurgitates the harder material with fur and
feathers in the form of a pellet
How do pellets form?
1. Catching the prey

Examples: birds, mice, lizards, frogs,
snakes, insects
2.
Swallow the prey

Whole or large chunks




3. Digestion
The food travels down the
esophagus and into the gizzard
In the gizzard the meal is
separated into 2 parts- those
that are digestible and those
that are now.
Digestible material continues to
pass through the owl’s digestive
tract. Material that is not
digestible is formed into a
pellet.
4. Regurgitation

While the owl is
regurgitating the pellet,
it looks like it is having
difficulty breathing.
Once the pellet is
ejected, the owl settles
back into a comfortable
position.
What’s Inside the Pellet?


Anything that the owl cannot digest…
Examples bones, feathers, and fur
Rodents (Mice, Rats, Voles)
Mouse
Rat
Vole (short tail)
Mole
Live underground
Small eyes
Large claws for digging
Shrew
Pointy nose
Food Web
Are owl pellets important?



Yes…
Regurgitating owl pellets is a way for the birds to
keep their esophagus clean.
The owl pellets allow scientists to learn about the
owl’s diet
Video
Dissection Directions