The Polite Term is Pellets by Doug Newman Found under roosts, these tightly packed owl pellets provide clues to the habits of these night hunters. The calling seemed to come from a group of large white pines near the back corner of the yard. Through the window, I saw a dark form quietly fly out from the pines, cruise over a neighbor's hayfield and then return.
Owls are active at night and make their living by catching and eating other animals.
They catch animals with their claws, called talons, and carry them back to their roosts. Roosts are regularly used sites, often located near nests, and are places where owls perch and eat their prey. Owls commonly roost in solitary trees or groups of trees that stand out from the rest, such as large old trees adjacent to fields or stands of pines or cedars in a forest that is mostly hardwoods. When we eat bony foods, like fried chicken, we use our teeth, a fork or our fingers to remove the meat from the bones. Similarly, owls use their hooked beak to pull flesh from the bodies of larger animals, such as cottontail rabbits.