How Are Owl Pellets Formed?

An owl swallows its prey whole. Everything it cannot digest - fur, feathers and bones - is pressed together inside the stomach and later brought back up through the beak as a pellet. The six panels below follow one barn owl meal from beak to pellet.

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1. Prey is positioned head-first in the beak

The owl lines the prey up head-first so it can be swallowed whole. The labels trace the route it will follow: esophagus, glandular stomach, muscular stomach, intestines and vent.

2. Prey is swallowed and passes through the esophagus

The prey travels down the esophagus in one piece. Small prey goes down whole - owls do not chew.

3. Prey enters the glandular stomach

In the glandular stomach, acids and enzymes begin to break down the parts of the prey that can be digested.

4. Enzymes break down the prey in the muscular stomach

Nutrients pass on through the muscular stomach, while bone, fur and feathers are held back.

5. Nutrients are absorbed from the intestine

Nutrients are absorbed into the body from the intestine. What is left behind is pressed together, with hair packed around the bones of the prey.

6. Waste leaves through the vent and the pellet is expelled

Waste is excreted through the vent. The indigestible part travels back up and is expelled orally as a pellet, ready to be found, dried and dissected.

Keep exploring

• Are owl pellets safe? How OBDK dries, wraps and heat-sterilizes every pellet before it reaches a classroom.
• Barn owl pellets for dissection Sterilized pellets in small, medium and jumbo sizes, from SW and NW US barns.