Pied-billed Grebe

A Pied-billed Grebe on 4 February 2021 at the Billy Frank Jr Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge. These grebes are opportunistic feeders. When they capture fish, the bird often pinches the prey, killing the fish by damaging the fishes’ internal organs. During this process, grebes may drop and pick up their prey. Grebes are also able to remove spiny fins before the fish is swallowed whole—head first (Muller and Storer 2020).