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Does anyone know what kind of owl this pellet could be from, or what animals the bones may be from? The pellet was at least 8cm long and had lots of small bones and leg bones, plus 3 skulls. The skulls were about 2-3cm long.
Found on the ground in a meadow that borders a mixed forest.
Owls eat small rodents, birds, and insects. But, they cannot digest the fur, bones, teeth, feathers, and exoskeletons from their prey. So, these parts are formed into a tight pellet inside the owl, who later spits the pellet out.
Spotted on Feb 15, 2018
Submitted on Feb 16, 2018
11 Comments
Your welcome, Christine....
Thanks so much for all the information maplemoth :)
Owls of Connecticut: No. 3: Barn-owls: Order: Strigiformes Family: Tytonidae Typical owls: Order: Strigiformes Family: Strigidae page 3:
Barn-owls: Barn-owls, are medium to large owls, with large heads and characteristic heart-shaped faces. They have strong legs with powerful talons. One species has been recorded in Connecticut. Typical owls: Typical owls, are small to large, solitary, nocturnal, birds of prey. They have large, forward-facing eyes and ears, a hawk-like beak, and a conspicuous circle of feathers around each eye, called a facial disk. Eleven species, have been recorded in Connecticut.... page 2:
Owls of Connecticut: Barn-owls - 1 : Eastern screech-owl, Great horned-owl, Snowy owl, Northern hawk-owl, Burrowing owl, Barred owl, Great gray owl, Long-eared owl, Short-eared owl, Boreal owl, Northern saw-whet owl, - 11 : continue:
Your welcome, Christine....enjoy your homeschool science lesson, with your kids....
Thanks maplemoth :). My kids and I sat right down in the meadow and dissected the pellet as an impromptu homeschool science lesson!
Five, very interesting photos....a very interesting Description: and Notes:
These five photos, your Description and Notes, is a great learning experience....
Thanks for your help Danièle, and for the mission link. I've updated the spotting :)
Hi Christine! I think it could be categorized according to the pellet's content?
It's certainly suitable for this mission:
http://www.projectnoah.org/missions/8475...