Diet: The pied-billed grebe feeds largely on small animals from aquatic insects to leeches, crustaceans, fish, and amphibians like frogs and salamanders. Most unusual of all however, are feathers. Grebes will eat their own feathers and it’s believed this helps with digestion. The feathers don’t digest right away but instead form masses within the bird’s three-part stomach. These masses of feathers slow the passage of food giving it more time to digest, this is especially important for invertebrates with hard exoskeletons and shells that may not easily digest otherwise. By slowing the rate at which food becomes digested, it allows the grebe to get as many nutrients as possible from each morsel of food.
Sources:
"Grebes Like Their Meals with a Side of Feathers - Here's Why." Audubon, 25 Jan. 2021, www.audubon.org/news/grebes-their-meals-side-feathers-heres-why#:~:text=Strange%20as%20it%20sounds%2C%20grebes,way%20to%20slow%20down%20digestion.. Accessed 20 Jan. 2023. "Pied-billed Grebe." Audubon, www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/pied-billed-grebe#:~:text=Major%20food%20items%20include%20aquatic,feeds%20feathers%20to%20its%20young.. Accessed 20 Jan. 2023. |