Pied-billed Grebe
Scientific Name:
Podilymbus podiceps
Type:
Bird
Habitat:
Ponds, marshes, estuaries, quiet water with abundant vegetation is preferred.1
Range:
Pied-billed Grebes are common throughout much of North American, as well as parts of Central and South America.1
Status:
Least Concern (IUCN Red List)
This species is
NATIVE
to the Truckee Meadows.
Identification:
Pied-billed grebes are small, brown, water birds. Solitary and secretive, you’re more likely to hear the loud, repeating, jungle like coo-coo-coo call of a Pied-Billed Grebe before seeing one.3 While some waterfowl display dazzlingly bright colors during the mating season, only the beak of pied-billed grebe changes from a dull brown to a bright silver with a vertical black stripe (“pied” refers to two colors) and the chin develops a black patch.1 With legs positioned at the very back end, and lobes on their toes, which resemble paddles, Pied-billed grebes are excellent divers and can maneuver effortlessly in the water.1 These same characteristics make walking on land and even flying a bit more difficult, thus Pied-billed grebes spend most of their time on the water.3 Small fish, crustaceans, insects and frogs are the main items on the Pied-billed grebes dietary list, but they consume a varied diet and will adjust to the availability of prey.1 About the size between a Robin and a Crow, Pied-billed Grebes can be 12-15 inches in length, weigh 9-20 ounces and have wingspans of 18-24 inches.1 Because of their small size, and bland brown color, Pied-billed Grebes are often mistaken for the juvenile offspring of other ducks, but they are quite solitary so they will rarely be seen with other waterfowl.3
Fast Facts:
Down periscope! Pied-billed grebes not only dive, but they can sink like a submarine due to their ability to control air trapped in their feathers, and can re-emerge with only the top of their head above water.3
While Pied-billed grebes can swim shortly after hatching, the young will often ride on their parents’ back for the first week, even when they dive underwater.1,3
Nests are either built in tall, dense, vegetation along the shore, or Pied-billed grebes may construct a floating nest.3
Sources:
Fowler, Catherine S., In the Shadow of Fox Peak: An Ethnography of the Cattail-Eater Northern Piaute People of Stillwater Marsh, Cultural Resource Series Number 5, US Department of Interior Fish and Wildlife Service, Region 1 Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge 1992.
Contributor(s):
Regina Hockett, research & content
Dayna Genio, web edits