Theba pisana in pellets of an Israelian Owl

The roosts of two specimens of the Israelian Little Owl ( Athene noctua lilith Hartert¹ were recently found in a little frequented part of the tree nursery of kibbutz Netser Sereni, Israel. Observations showed that the birds used to perch on a metal rafter at the end of the nursery, and also on a telephone-pole next to the nursery. For an investigation of the diet of these owls 67 pellets were collected from under the roosts from April to June 1970. The pellets were of a greyish colour and the average size was 31 x 13 mm. Among the remnants of the prey we found many elytra of beetles, the bones of small rodents and also large numbers of shell fragments.