The feeding ecology of grebes is diverse. Larger species such as those in the genus Aechmophorus have spear-like bills to catch mid-depth fish while smaller species such as those in the genera Tachybaptus and Podilymbus tend to be short and stout with a preference for catching small aquatic invertebrates. The majority of grebes predate on aquatic invertebrates, with only a handful of large-bodied piscivores. The aforementioned Aechmophorus is the most piscivorous of the grebes. Closely related species that overlap in their range often avoid interspecific competition by having prey preferences and adaptations for it. In areas where there is just as a single species, they tend to have more generalized bills with more openness to different prey sources.
The feeding ecology of grebes is diverse Larger species such as those in the genus Aechmophorus have spear-like bills to catch mid-depth fish while smaller species such as those in the genera Tachybaptus and Podilymbus tend to be short and stout with a preference for catching small aquatic invertebrates The majority of grebes predate on aquatic invertebrates with only a handful of large-bodied piscivores The aforementioned Aechmophorus is the most piscivorous of the grebes Closely related species that overlap in their range often avoid interspecific competition by having prey preferences and adaptations for it In areas where there is just as a single species they tend to have more generalized bills with more openness to different prey sources