Breeding Location:
Marshes, freshwater, Swamps, Sea, open
Breeding Type:
Monogamous, Colonial
Breeding Population:
Common to fairly common
Egg Color:
Pale blue, nest stained
Number of Eggs:
1 - 6
Incubation Days:
23 - 24
Egg Incubator:
Both sexes
Nest Material:
Made of floating detritus.
Migration:
Some migrate
Overview
Clark's Grebe: Large grebe, gray-black upperparts, white underparts, and slender neck with white on front and black on back. White face, black cap extends nearly to red eyes. Bill is yellow-orange. Until the 1980's thought to be a pale morph of the Western Grebe. Direct flight on rapid wing beats.
Range and Habitat
Clark's Grebe: Breeds from British Columbia, Saskatchewan, and Minnesota south to southern California, and sparsely to Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado. Spends winters along the coast from southeastern Alaska to California, along the Gulf coast, and on large river systems in west. Breeds on large lakes with reeds or rushes; winters mainly on shallow coastal bays and estuaries.
Breeding and Nesting
Clark's Grebe: One to six pale blue eggs are laid on a floating nest anchored to reeds; usually nests in dense, noisy colonies. Incubation ranges from 23 to 24 days and is carried out by both parents.
Foraging and Feeding
Clark's Grebe: Diet consists mostly of fish, but also takes insects and other invertebrates; sometimes eats amphibians and plants; forages by diving from the surface.
Readily Eats
Vocalization
Clark's Grebe: Song is a loud "kr-r-rick", heard most often on breeding grounds.
Similar Species
Clark's Grebe: Western Grebe has greener bill. Horned and Eared grebes are smaller with much shorter bills that are never yellow. Red-necked Grebe is smaller and lacks bold black-and-white neck pattern.
.