A faster, less messy, way is to pull the dry pellet apart. This may result in some broken skull bones, but it requires no preparation and clean-up is easy. The basic object of study by younger students is to locate and identify the bones. Although hawks and owls feed on just about every animal they can catch, including insects, lizards, toads, snakes, bats, birds, even fish, the most common remains are those of rodents. Comparing the bones to a drawing of a rat or mouse skeleton will usually let a student determine which are leg bones, which are ribs, skull, jaws, pelvis, toes, etc.
More advanced students can identify the rodent by a close examination of the skull, jaws, and teeth.
If you want to do this, click here for illustrations of and a simple key to skulls of the rodents most commonly found in raptor pellets. You can then print the page for your classroom use. Since most owls hunt over a relatively small area, your list represents a survey of the rodents living within a mile or so of the roost or nest site. For information on some local owls and other birds of prey click here . To learn more about rodents and get information on some local species click here .