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Bird Pellets are the regurgitated remains of an animal that a bird cannot digest. They are unique to a species due to the diet in which the bird lives on. In birds of prey and owls it is often hard to tell which bird pellets have come from which species but there are clues. These are:

  1. Size
  2. Colour
  3. Shape
  4. Contents

Some birds such as gulls and corvids also produce pellets. This is because they cannot digest the bones, fur, exoskeletons and feathers of their prey. It is sometimes best to disect a bird pellet in order to find out what the bird has eaten.

Bird pellets are often mistaken for poo due to their colour. They may also harbour some dangerous bacteriums too so before you start to disect a bird pellet, put into a freezer bag and pop it in the freezer overnight. This will cause any microbes to die and make it safer for you to handle.

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