Warbling Vireo catches fly...then removes head, wings, and legs before eating...

I know this post is a little strange, but the behavior is interesting. Watching this Warbling Vireo (Vireo gilvus) catch a fly and then proceed to pluck it like a chicken before eating it, was unexpected. I've seen hawks de-feather birds before eating them, but I've never watched a warbler de-head, de-wing and de-leg a bug before dining...

A Warbling Vireo (Vireo gilvus) catches a fly in midair from his perch. 

First he secures it with his foot...

...then he rips off the head and gives it a fling.

...then he goes back to rip off a wing...

...and reposition for better handling.

The fly still has a few legs and one wing...

...but not for long.

There goes another leg...

...and then the wing.

The fly has been plucked clean and is ready for consumption.

...but first it has to be positioned just so.

...the first gulp...

...and it's down the hatch!

I photographed this Warbling Vireo at Magee Marsh in Toledo, Ohio. I was there this May during spring migration for the Biggest Week in American Birding festival (click here for all the Magee Marsh posts). The sun was setting, casting the boardwalk in semi-darkness and deep shadow, so the quality of these photos is not best, but the subject was so cool (...and cool always trumps quality!). I'll have to watch carefully to see if other birds take off the head, legs and wings of insects before they eat them. I frequently see cicada wings lying around on the ground, so I assume birds ripped those wings off before eating, but I've never photographed a bird doing it...