[frank ballenger]

A few years ago there was a study of federal government waste in the budget.
A program to study owl spit was singled out.

Turns out every once in a while an owl will spit, meaning clearing out junk in the back of its throat. If the stuff includes tiny rodent bones and various natural habitat diet items it is a good sign. If it lacks these and includes bits of tree bark and leaves it shows desperation to find food to survive and this is a sign of the destruction of the habitat (as ecological trend going downward).

Don’t say I never said anything practical or useful in my posts.

[Sacajaweau]

Sounds like Pneumonia to me. Needs a vet not a spit watchdog.

[BlessedBeGod]

If the stuff includes tiny rodent bones and various natural habitat diet items it is a good sign. If it lacks these and includes bits of tree bark and leaves it shows desperation to find food to survive and this is a sign of the destruction of the habitat (as ecological trend going downward).

Thanks for that info! I have an interest in birds, and hadn't heard that.

[DUMBGRUNT]

“Don’t say I never said anything practical or useful in my posts.”

Thank you.
A good entry point to find fun bits.

What happens to the indigestible material?
Indigestible material left in the gizzard such as teeth, skulls, claws, and feathers are too dangerous to pass through the rest of the owl’s digestive tract. To safely excrete this material, the owl’s gizzard compacts it into a tight pellet that the owl regurgitates. The regurgitated pellets are known as owl pellets.

https://www.carolina.com/knowledge/2020/02/19/all-about-owl-pellets