Eared Grebe

Podiceps nigricollisOrder: PODICIPEDIFORMESFamily: Grebes (Podicipedidae)
Eared Grebe Portrait
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Range Map for Eared Grebe

Overview

Eared Grebe: Small grebe with black upperparts, dark chestnut-brown flanks, white underparts. Head and neck are black, orange feathers on face. Eyes are red. Black legs and feet. Forages by diving and swimming underwater. Feeds on aquatic insects and crustaceans. Direct flight with rapid wing beats.

Range and Habitat

Eared Grebe: Breeds from British Columbia, southern Manitoba and the Dakotas south to California and New Mexico. Spends winters on the Pacific, Gulf, and Atlantic (rare) coasts, and occasionally on open water in the interior southwest and Texas. Preferred habitats include marshy lakes and ponds; open bays and ocean during the winter.

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Listen:

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Voice Text

"poo-eee-chk", "ooEEK", "ooEEKa"

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Related Birds:

Western Grebe
Pied-billed Grebe
Horned Grebe
Red-necked Grebe
Least Grebe
.

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Family Grebe (Podicipedidae)_blue
Species Podiceps nigricollis
Length12 - 13 Inches
Wingspan22.5 Inches

Eared Grebe

Eared Grebe: Small grebe with black upperparts, dark chestnut-brown flanks, white underparts. Head and neck are black, orange feathers on face. Eyes are red. Black legs and feet. Forages by diving and swimming underwater. Feeds on aquatic insects and crustaceans. Direct flight with rapid wing beats.

● Song: "poo-eee-chk", "ooEEK", "ooEEKa"

● Foraging & Feeding: Eared Grebe: Feeds on aquatic insects, small crustaceans, and fish; forages at the water surface or by diving and swimming underwater.

● Breeding & nesting: Eared Grebe: One to nine white to light blue eggs are laid on a floating nest made of vegetation in a marsh. Usually nests in dense colonies. Incubation ranges from 20 to 22 days and is carried out by both parents.

● Similar species: Eared Grebe: Pied-billed Grebe has a thick, horn-colored bill and brown plumage. Red-necked Grebe is much larger, and has a longer bill with yellow base. Horned Grebe has a straighter bill without an uptilted tip and blockier head without a peak at the center of the crown.

Flight Pattern

Direct flight with rapid wing beats.
Eared Grebe Body Illustration
● Range & Habitat: Eared Grebe: Breeds from British Columbia, southern Manitoba and the Dakotas south to California and New Mexico. Spends winters on the Pacific, Gulf, and Atlantic (rare) coasts, and occasionally on open water in the interior southwest and Texas. Preferred habitats include marshy lakes and ponds; open bays and ocean during the winter.
BreedingMonogamous, Colonial
Population
MigrationMigratory
Weight10.3 Ounces