Amazing Animals: Barn Owls

Amazing Animals: Barn Owls

Bible Blast: Read 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

You must honor God with your body. 1 Corinthians 6:20

I have to admit, I don’t see many barn owls where I live. But I have heard one up on my parents’ mountain property.

You can find barn owls all over the world except in supercold or desert regions. And guess what? They don’t just live in barns, although some people actually make special holes in the tops of their barns, hoping the owls will nest there because they get rid of pests.

Barn owls are also called screech owls because they don’t say, “who-who-whooo,” like other owls. They give off an eerie screeching sound. These birds can also make a hissing sound to scare off predators. If it’s captured or trapped, the barn owl throws itself on its back and lashes out with its sharp talons.

One of the most interesting, and maybe most disgusting, things about owls is how they digest their food. They eat mostly small rodents and critters, tearing them into chunks so they can swallow the bits. (That’s not even the gross part.)

Owls can’t digest the bones, feathers, fur, and teeth of their prey. So when an owl swallows the food, it passes through an organ that filters out all that indigestible stuff. That organ is called a “gizzard.” The rest of the good stuff goes through the body and nourishes the owl.

Here comes the gross part: When the gizzard gets full of all that hard stuff, the owl has to get rid of it. So it regurgitates (coughs up and spits out) the contents of the gizzard, and what comes up is called an “owl pellet.” It’s full of bones, feathers, fur, and teeth.

Even though owl pellets are nasty, it’s wonderful how God provided the gizzard as a filter so the owl wouldn’t digest stuff that would be bad for its digestion. We humans don’t have a gizzard. We have to be the ones to filter what food we eat. We need to be aware of what’s in our food so we don’t digest a bunch of junk that will make our bodies unhealthy.

Eat healthy, because “owl” be watching you! (Not really, but I couldn’t resist the joke!)

Girl Gab: Mom and Daughter, talk about your family’s eating habits. Do you eat plenty of veggies and fruit? How much water do you drink every day? Do you always eat on the go, or do you sit down and slowly eat your meals? Ask God together to help your family set and maintain good eating habits.