Owl pellets give insight into its favourite foods

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When we are presented with food on a plate we are careful to pick out the bits that we are going to digest and to discard the bits that are indigestible. Barn Owls don't do that. If a pellet is left soaking in a bowl of lukewarm water overnight it disintegrates and whole bones, teeth and other identifiable body parts become apparent. There are guidebooks available detailing how to identify the contents of owl pellets and with these aids and much patience the diet of the birds can be determined.

Studies of the diet of Barn Owls in Ireland show that the birds' prey items in order of abundance are Field Mouse, Pygmy Shrew, House Mouse, and Brown Rat. In addition, birds, Common Frog and bats are taken in small numbers.

In Birdwatch Ireland's scientific journal Irish Birds, a review of twenty nine studies in the south-west of the country on the diet of Barn Owls from 1964 to 2018 found that the numbers of Field Mice and Pygmy Shrews taken declined significantly while numbers of Bank Voles increased significantly. There was no significant change in the numbers of Brown Rats and House Mice taken, although there was a downwards trend for both.

S: https://www.independent.ie/regionals/corkman/lifestyle/owl-pellets-give-insight-into-its-favourite-foods-39394478.html