{"id":173109,"date":"2026-03-26T06:38:55","date_gmt":"2026-03-26T11:38:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=173109"},"modified":"2026-03-26T06:38:55","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T11:38:55","slug":"pied-billed-grebe-eating-a-feather-at-sequoyah-nwr","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2026\/03\/26\/pied-billed-grebe-eating-a-feather-at-sequoyah-nwr\/","title":{"rendered":"Pied-billed Grebe Eating A Feather At Sequoyah NWR"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Pied-billedPied-billed Grebe eating a feather \u2013 Canon R7, beanbag, f8, 1\/1250, ISO 800, Canon RF 100-500mm at 500mm, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

On one of my recent trips to Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge this week, I had fun photographing a Pied-billed Grebe eating a feather at Miner’s Cove.<\/p>\n

The grebe was close to where I sat in my Jeep on the road watching it preen. It dawned on me as I photographed the fluffy water bird that I hadn’t shared any photos of Pied-billed Grebes since leaving Utah.<\/p>\n

Next month is my two year anniversary of seeing the last of Utah in my rear view mirror. Where has time gone?<\/p>\n

Back to the grebe eating its own feather:<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Pied-billed Grebes eating their own feathers looks odd at first, but it actually serves a purpose. Those feathers form a soft, felt-like layer in the stomach that helps cushion sharp fish bones and other hard bits they swallow whole. It\u2019s a built-in way to protect their digestive tract.<\/p>\n

That feathery layer also helps them bundle up indigestible material into pellets, which they can later bring back up. Kind of like their own cleanup system after a meal.<\/p>\n

Strange behavior, smart design. Nature doesn\u2019t waste a thing.<\/p>\n

I frequently see Pied-billed Grebes<\/span><\/a> at the refuge but it isn’t often that I have one up close like this bird was. Having it in my viewfinder was a nice treat.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my Pied-billed Grebe photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On one of my recent trips to Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge this week, I had fun photographing a Pied-billed Grebe eating a feather at Miner’s Cove.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":173106,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,13973,135,13974],"tags":[4004,5552,13984,4286,4608,877,707,14047,4009,4166,13976,165,3996,1983],"class_list":["post-173109","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-avian","category-oklahoma","category-pied-billed-grebes","category-sequoyah-national-wildlife-refuge","tag-adult","tag-bill","tag-bottomlands","tag-eating","tag-feather","tag-grebe","tag-grebes-2","tag-miners-cove","tag-pied-billed-grebe","tag-podilymbus-podiceps","tag-slough","tag-spring","tag-water","tag-water-birds"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/pied-billed-grebe-sequoyah-nwr-mia-mcpherson-1310.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-J25","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":117691,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2023\/11\/01\/interesting-pied-billed-grebe-faux-crash-dive-behavior\/","url_meta":{"origin":173109,"position":0},"title":"Interesting Pied-billed Grebe Faux Crash-Dive Behavior","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"November 1, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"I had a great time observing and photographing a Pied-billed Grebe exhibiting Crash-dive behavior at Bear River MBR from the auto tour loop on Monday.","rel":"","context":"In "Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge"","block_context":{"text":"Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/bear-river-migratory-bird-refuge\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Pied-billed Grebe splashing water in a Crash-dive, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/pied-billed-grebe-faux-submarining-mia-mcpherson-6543.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/pied-billed-grebe-faux-submarining-mia-mcpherson-6543.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/pied-billed-grebe-faux-submarining-mia-mcpherson-6543.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/pied-billed-grebe-faux-submarining-mia-mcpherson-6543.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":116150,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2023\/09\/20\/late-summer-baby-pied-billed-grebes\/","url_meta":{"origin":173109,"position":1},"title":"Late Summer Baby Pied-billed Grebes","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"September 20, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"On my most recent trip to Bear River MBR, I had a huge thrill. I found four baby Pied-billed Grebes still in their striped juvenile plumage in the marsh.","rel":"","context":"In "Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge"","block_context":{"text":"Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/bear-river-migratory-bird-refuge\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Four baby Pied-billed Grebes in late summer, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/pied-billed-grebe-babies-mia-mcpherson-0852.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/pied-billed-grebe-babies-mia-mcpherson-0852.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/pied-billed-grebe-babies-mia-mcpherson-0852.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/pied-billed-grebe-babies-mia-mcpherson-0852.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":109913,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2023\/01\/30\/fluffy-butt-pied-billed-grebe\/","url_meta":{"origin":173109,"position":2},"title":"Fluffy Butt Pied-billed Grebe","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"January 30, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"What bird is cuter than a fluffy butt Pied-billed Grebe? There are probably quite a few birds as cute but this one taken four years ago tickled my fancy today.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Fluffy butt Pied-billed Grebe, Salt Lake County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/pied-billed-grebe-fluffy-butt-mia-mcpherson-0181.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/pied-billed-grebe-fluffy-butt-mia-mcpherson-0181.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/pied-billed-grebe-fluffy-butt-mia-mcpherson-0181.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/pied-billed-grebe-fluffy-butt-mia-mcpherson-0181.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":119982,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2024\/01\/21\/bathing-pied-billed-grebe-photo\/","url_meta":{"origin":173109,"position":3},"title":"Bathing Pied-billed Grebe Photo","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"January 21, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"This morning, I'm sharing a simple bathing Pied-billed Grebe photo that I took four years ago. I like this grebe image because of all the flying water droplets.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Pied-billed Grebe bathing vigorously, Salt Lake County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/pied-billed-grebe-bathing-urban-mia-mcpherson-4993.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/pied-billed-grebe-bathing-urban-mia-mcpherson-4993.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/pied-billed-grebe-bathing-urban-mia-mcpherson-4993.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, 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Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/pied-billed-grebe-winter-urban-mia-mcpherson-3394.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/pied-billed-grebe-winter-urban-mia-mcpherson-3394.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/pied-billed-grebe-winter-urban-mia-mcpherson-3394.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/pied-billed-grebe-winter-urban-mia-mcpherson-3394.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":118211,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2023\/11\/13\/young-pied-billed-grebe-in-late-november\/","url_meta":{"origin":173109,"position":5},"title":"Young Pied-billed Grebe In Late November","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"November 13, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"I was going through photos that I took last year when I found this image of a young Pied-billed Grebe, taken at my local pond at the tail end of November.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Young Pied-billed Grebe at a local pond, Salt Lake County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/pied-billed-grebe-immature-november-mia-mcpherson-4528.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/pied-billed-grebe-immature-november-mia-mcpherson-4528.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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