why do owls spit up pellets?

Have you seen an animal spit? In the photo above, can you spot the pellet the owl just spit up?

 

While walking in the park, I always stop to talk to the people with huge cameras and tons of patience. They come to the park to catch the beauty of nature. Their expensive cameras can zoom in to see details of animals far away. They are always happy to share their experiences with me. While watching a Barred Owl on a low branch with the photographers, I thought I saw the owl spit something out. I turned to the photographer and said, “Did he just spit out an owl pellet?” He responded, “I think I got that picture.” We looked at his pictures, and it was true, he captured three shots of an owl pellet falling from the owl!

You may wonder what an owl pellet is. It is something you may dissect in Biology class. When owls eat voles, mice, or squirrels, they do not digest the fur, teeth, or bones, even though they are swallowed. God has given them the ability to spit out the undigestible parts, like a cat spitting up a furball. When an owl pellet is dissected, the bones can be examined, measured, and sometimes used to reconstruct the rodent’s skeleton.

 

Curiously, I walked to the tree where the owl sat. I searched directly under the branch for the pellet on the ground. I sadly could not find it among the leaf litter. It just disappeared. This was the first time I had ever seen an owl spit, and I was in awe. This experience reminded me of a Bible verse found in Revelation 3:16. It says, “So, because you are lukewarm–neither hot nor cold-I am about to spit you out of my mouth."

 

What do you think it means to be lukewarm? When you leave a glass of water out on the counter, it will cool down or warm up to match the air temperature around it. It won't stay very hot or very cold, but will become lukewarm.

 

How can people be lukewarm like water? Being lukewarm as a person means saying one thing and doing another. We can avoid being lukewarm by loving God with our whole heart, soul, and mind. As we learn to love God more and more, our words and actions will show it. His love will pour through us to others. Learning about Jesus, praying to God, and being kind to others shows that you love God and are not lukewarm. 

“Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth." 

1 John 3:18

Dear God, I thank you for loving me. Help me to speak and act in ways that reflect my love for you. When I choose poorly, help me return to your ways.

Fun Fact:

Captive owls will spit out owl pellets in their enclosures. These pellets are collected by caretakers and sold to science students for dissection.