Grebes eat feathers. Lots of feathers. In fact grebes are the only birds known to regularly and deliberately eat their own feathers. The stomach contents of some grebes have been found to be more than 50% feathers and their tendency to eat them, and to feed them to their chicks, can make for some interesting photo-ops.
1/2000, f/8, ISO 500, Canon 40D, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS USM + EF 1.4 Extender, not baited, set up or called in
When I was rooting around my grebe archives a few days ago I found several interesting photos I’ve never posted before and this is one of them. I like its simplicity with the feather in the adult’s beak, the chick’s interest focused on the feather and that intensely red eye pulling the viewer’s attention to the center of the most important area of the photo. I also like the reflected colors in the water, particularly at the top half of the frame.
Grebes eat feathers as a digestive aid and they begin doing so immediately after hatching when their parents begin feeding them to their chicks. Adults eat their own feathers during preening or pick up feathers floating on the surface of the water which is where this feather came from. Interestingly in this case the adult teased the youngster by keeping the feather just out of reach before deliberately dropping it into the water directly beneath the chick. I believe the adult was trying to teach the chick to be more independent by picking up its own feathers on the water but in this instance the youngster hadn’t yet learned the lesson and let the feather float away.
The reasons for feather-eating in grebes are complex, not fully understood and beyond the scope of this blog post but I’ve covered that subject in much more detail here. Click on the link if you have the interest.
Ron
Hello again,
I erroneously posted my last comment on the Avocets and refuge on the Grebe page – apologies for that.
Hi Ron,
A great series of images. We are distressed but not surprised by the situation on the refuge – despite all our knowledge and purported best intentions, the almighty dollar appears to rule supreme. In our state down under in Australia the government as just give permission for a portion of an important RAMSAR-listing coastal wetland to be resumed for ‘development’. I concur with Dicks comments – not pessimistic yet but less optimistic than I was.
Best wishes
Gary
Why they eat their feathers, we will probably never be certain but some have guessed to flush out parasites.It is a lovely capture with a story.
Thank you, Jane.
I saw the courtship behavior on my birthday one year. Best birthday present I ever got! So this pic is the after effect. It was at the city park in Klamath Falls, OR. Apparently it is quite common there in April, but hugely special to me. We see the running on the water videos, but there is a whole ballet that precedes that. Just gorgeous.
Yes, their courtship displays are quite varied, and I agree – beautiful. Neat birthday present, Barbara.
The chick went from yawning to alert in a matter of two days.😉
Very nice complementary colors overall.
It’s nice to see photos of the grebes in their breeding grounds. Here at the Salish Sea we see them just starting to flirt with each other in late winter/early spring before they go inland.
Lyle, grebes are among my favorites to have around during the breeding season. Their back-brooding antics are a big part of that.
That chick is too cute! Thanks for perusing your archives. This is certainly a gem.
Thanks, Marty.
Thank you teacher.
Continuing education AND visual treats.
I’m glad you appreciate both, EC. Thanks.
Ron, love the photo for a few reasons that you stated, the red eye, very focused chick, the mother holding the feather out of reach of the youngster. Grebes are an attractive bird. Thanks for the photo and the lesson, teacher.
Thank you, Alice.
Always learning something new from you😁
I saw about 5 baby Mergansers on moms back other day ❗️ Love it
Have a great day
Congrats on the mergansers, Diana.
Have you ever seen a grebe pellet?
Nope, I never have, April. Some authors say that grebe pellets are regurgitated mostly at night – if so that would explain why.
This has always been a fascinating behavior to observe, but puzzling. The explanations for this behavior (provided in your link) make good sense but leave me wondering; why only grebes? Kingfishers, cormorants, loons, mergansers and many more birds around the world eat fish and have to contend with the same issues as grebes. I’ve not had the opportunity to examine grebe stomachs and compare them with the stomachs of other fish-eating birds. It would be an interesting comparison that I’ve not seen done. Perhaps grebes just have thin-walled stomachs. Or it may have to do with their evolutionary history. Flamingos are thought to be more closely related to grebes than any other birds. A reason to keep learning more about the world we live in.
Dan, one scientific paper I read the abstract of yesterday proposes that ” grebes originated as surface feeders and adopted feather-eating to enhance the efficiency of feeding on small arthropods or other hard-bodied taxa that are difficult to digest.”
https://bioone.org/journals/The-Wilson-Journal-of-Ornithology/volume-129/issue-3/16-196.1/Feather-Eating-In-Grebes-A-500-Year-Conundrum/10.1676/16-196.1.short
Thanks for the link. I’ll read it later today.
Something new to me! Really like the intense look on ‘jr’s’ face as he is looking at the feather. so much to learn before heading out on their own.
Yes, he’s focused 100% on that feather – one of the things I like best about the photo.
Interesting! 🙂 Great photo – chick definitely interested…… 🙂 I’d think they’d definitely provide “roughage”.
Yup, roughage for sure… 🙂
Thanks for the biology lesson Ron. That is something new for me. Have never heard nor read that previously. Nice photo – these Western Grebes are very attractive and love the photos with the chicks on the backs.
You’re very welcome, Everett. Thanks.