A short note on an analysis of Little Eagle pellets 

An adult female Little Eagle eating a rosella provided to her by her mate.

A short article has been recently published in Canberra Bird Notes, describing a sample of food items in Little Eagle pellets in the ACT area. The main prey items were rabbit and small-medium sized birds and smaller number of lizards.

Rae, S., Davies, M., Mulvaney, M., Fletcher, D., Kiggins, R., Stol, J., Roberts, D., and Olsen, P. (2021). Prey items identified from Little Eagle pellets collected in and around the Australian Capital Territory. Canberra Bird Notes 46: 64-69.

Abstract: We describe the prey items identified in 810 food pellets ejected by Little Eagles (Hieraaetus morphnoides) in the ACT and nearby NSW. European Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) was the most frequent prey species, found in 87% of pellets. The remains of birds were in 31% and reptile remains were in 13%. The most frequent birds eaten were Eastern and Crimson Rosellas (Platycercus eximius and P. elegans), and European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris). The reptiles were all lizards, and the most frequent remains were of Eastern Blue-tongue (Tiliqua scincoides scincoides), dragon sp. and skink sp. Miscellaneous items included, Black Rat (Rattus rattus), Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes), Eastern Grey Kangaroo (Macropus giganteus) and sheep (Ovis aries). Traces of insects eaten were scarce (in 1.8% of pellets) and all were either beetles (Coleoptera) or grasshoppers (Caelifera). The minimum numbers of the main prey types were: rabbit 141, bird 122 and reptile 52. Prey remains were collected at the same time as the pellets and on comparison, there were similar counts of rabbits (134) in the prey remains as in the pellets, more birds (159) and fewer reptiles (34). 

The pellets were collected from below roosting branches. The larger one shown here was more likely from a female eagle and the other two from a male. This is because the female birds are much larger than the males and are more likely to eject larger pellets, although this is not conclusive as there is considerable overlap in the pellet sizes, as that can be affected by the prey eaten and size of the meal.

The main contents of this pellet can be seen. It is mostly composed of rabbit fur and whiskers, and there are feathers, probably from either a Crimson or Eastern Rosella.

This pellet is also mostly composed of rabbit fur. The secondary item is a lizard as can be seen by the scales and claws in the lower end. Possibly a Cunningham's Skink.

A total of 810 pellets were collected over three years. Each pellet was individually bagged and labelled. And all pellets that were collected at the same place and time were bagged into batches. Then all pellets from each year were bagged together. They were all dried thoroughly prior to bagging to preserve the contents. Then they were all analysed one after the other. It is easier to do this all at once as familiarity of the various items speeds identification.

There is a lot more to fieldwork than fieldwork.