. The number and type of prey items found in the owl pellet can be the result of the following factors: availability and abundance of prey, the ease or difficulty of catching the prey, and the taste preference of the owl. Create an experimental design that would describe the diets of barn owls while accounting for these factors.

Explanation:

Experimental design based on the factors mentioned

Check for availability of prey in same habitat as the Barn owl

Determine the type of  prey available in the habitat because Owls feed mostly on small rodents like mice, vole e.t.c

If there is an abundance of prey, Check for the most common and easy to catch prey for an owl . considering the taste of the Barn owls while carrying out this experiment .

The Barn Owls feed mostly on Field voles to other kinds of rodents. therefore the availability and ease of catching a Field vole should be prioritized if they are readily available in the same habitat with the Barn Owls. if Field voles are not available the Barn owls can also feed on other rodents and smaller birds available .

Conclude your experiment

for example, no new evidence will demonstrate that the earth does not orbit around the sun (heliocentric theory), or that living things are not made of cells (cell theory), that matter is not composed of atoms, or that the surface of the earth is not divided into solid plates that have moved over geological timescales .