What do eared grebes eat

There were no feathers in the lumen of the gut anywhere and there were no ingesta either. I thought it was an obstruction. I have some images that I can provide poor quality and too graphic for publishing, but in case you were interested. Anyways, thanks again! Fascinating info on the necropsy, Linda. Thank you. Very nice to find this info.

I was photographing and videoing Pied billed grebes this afternoon and witnessed the adult picking flank feathers out and the chicks 4 eagerly gulping them down. Thank you from Jeff. Another informative and very enjoyable article Ron. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

So, grebes evolved to use their feathers as a way to slow down digestion. After the bird swallows them, the feathers enter a three-part stomach — first a storage chamber, then a gizzard, and lastly a pouch.

The feathers form dense balls in both the gizzard and final pouch and appear to slow the passage of food long enough that the food can be safely liquified. The tough bits are then regurgitated within a ball of feathers, much the way owls spit up pellets of bones from their prey.

A grebe may pop out as many as six feather balls in an evening. ML recorded by Gregory Budney. The same climate change-driven threats that put birds at risk will affect other wildlife and people, too. The bill provides for a coordinated scientific effort to inform effective management and conservation of Saline Lake habitats in the arid West. Analysis reveals continued importance of the lake and need to understand factors affecting bird populations.

Saline lakes and their associated wetlands throughout Intermountain West create a network of critical habitat that millions of birds depend on for breeding, resting and feeding during migration, and wintering. The Salton Sea is one of the most important places for birds in North America and is in danger of losing its ecological value.

If it does, we will lose a vital part of the Pacific Flyway. Latin: Podiceps auritus. Latin: Podilymbus podiceps. Membership benefits include one year of Audubon magazine and the latest on birds and their habitats.

Your support helps secure a future for birds at risk. Our email newsletter shares the latest programs and initiatives. A common grebe of freshwater lakes in the west. Gregarious at all seasons; nests in dense colonies, sometimes congregates in huge numbers on lakes during migration and winter.

Probably as an adaptation to life in the arid west, it is flexible in distribution, quickly taking advantage of temporary or man-made new bodies of water. Photo gallery. Feeding Behavior Forages by diving and swimming underwater, propelled by feet. Eggs Usually , rarely January 15, Listen Now. Bob Sundstrom Writer. Michael Stein Narrator. Gregg Thompson Photographer. Tags: behavior.