| Western Grebe | |
|---|---|
 a Western Grebe with young. | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Podicipediformes |
| Family: | Podicipedidae |
| Genus: | Aechmophorus |
| Species: | Aechmophorus occidentalis |
The Western Grebe (Aechmophorus occidentalis) is a North American waterbird species belonging to the grebe family.
Description[]
At 22-29 inches long, the Western Grebe is the largest of all North American grebes. It is also swan-like in appearance, giving it folk names, such as "swan grebe" and "swan-necked grebe". It has a slender, S-shaped neck and is often confused with the similar Clark's Grebe, which shares the same features, behavior and habitat, and hybrids are known to exist.
The Western Grebe has black around the eyes and a straight greenish-yellow bill whereas the Clark's Grebe has white around the eyes and an up-turned bright yellow bill. The downy young of Western are grey; Clark's downy young are white.
Behavior[]
They're also observed in mixed flocks with other waterfowl.
Feeding[]
This bird dines by diving for carp, herring, mollusks, crabs, and salamanders.
Breeding and Nesting[]
Flock
They nest in colonies of hundreds on large inland lakes, sometimes using estuaries, in western North American. It has a dazzling courtship display; two birds will rear up and patter across the water surface.
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Two grebes rearing up in a courtship dance.
The breeding season in the north lasts between May and July, while in Mexico, it lasts until October. It generally breeds in colonies. The nest is built in shallow water on a floating or stationary platform from plant remains. 3-4 eggs in the nest are laid and incubation of them lasts up to 28 days. The chicks are taken care of by the parents for more than 2.5 months.
Distribution and Habitat[]
The Western Grebe nests on large lakes in western North America. In winter, it migrates to the Pacific coast. Some birds overwinter on the Gulf Coast. Populations in California, Nevada, Arizona and Mexico do not migrate, remaining in the nesting area throughout the year. It occurs in inland waters, both fresh and saline.
Fossils[]
Western Grebe fossils from the Late Pleistocene of SW North America were described as a distinct species (Miller 1911), but later ranked as a paleosubspecies Aechmophorus occidentalis lucasi (Howard 1946). More recent study found them to fall within the variation now known to exist in today's birds (Jehl 1967, Storer 1989).