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Pied-billed Grebe

Podilymbus podicepsOrder: PODICIPEDIFORMES Family: Grebes (Podicipedidae)
Codes: Common Name: PBGR Scientific Name: PODPOD ITIS Taxonomic No.: 174505
Least Concern
 
Pied-billed Grebe
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Overview

Pied-billed Grebe: Medium-sized, stocky grebe with brown upperparts, paler brown underparts with barred sides and flanks, and distinct white undertail coverts. Chin is black and bill is white with central black ring. Eyes are dark. Feeds on aquatic insects and vegetation, small fish and crustaceans.

Range and Habitat

Pie-billed Grebe: Breeds from British Columbia, southern Mackenzie, and Nova Scotia southward. Spends winters in the southern states or wherever water remains open. Preferred habitats include marshes and ponds.

Topo Map: Upright-perching Water-like Body


Listen to Call

Voice Text

"cow-cow-cow-cow, cow, cow, cowp, cowp, cowp"

Interesting Facts

 The Pied-billed Grebe is rarely seen in flight. It prefers to escape predators by diving, and it migrates at night.

 Although it swims like a duck, it does not have webbed feet. Each toe has lobes extending out on the sides that provide extra surface area for paddling.

 Folk names of this grebe include dabchick, devil-diver, dive-dapper, hell-diver, and water witch.

 A group of grebes are collectively known as a "water dance" of grebes.


Bird Term Glossary



Author

Gary Owen Dick

Artist

Yury Lisyak

Splitbar
Range Map for Pied-billed Grebe

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Family Grebe (Podicipedidae)_blue
Species Podilymbus podiceps
Length12 - 15 Inches
Wingspan22.5 Inches

Pied-billed Grebe

Pied-billed Grebe: Medium-sized, stocky grebe with brown upperparts, paler brown underparts with barred sides and flanks, and distinct white undertail coverts. Chin is black and bill is white with central black ring. Eyes are dark. Feeds on aquatic insects and vegetation, small fish and crustaceans.

● Song: "cow-cow-cow-cow, cow, cow, cowp, cowp, cowp"

● Foraging & Feeding: Pied-billed Grebe: Eats aquatic vegetation, insects, fish, and crustaceans; forages by diving from the surface and swimming underwater.

● Breeding & nesting: Pied-billed Grebe: Two to ten light blue eggs are laid in a well-hidden floating nest made of dead marsh vegetation anchored to emergent plants. Incubation ranges from 23 to 27 days and is carried out by both parents.

● Similar species: Pied-billed Grebe: Least Grebe is smaller and has yellow eyes and slender, dark bill.

Flight Pattern

Direct flight with rapid wing beats.
Pied-billed Grebe Body Illustration
● Range & Habitat: Pie-billed Grebe: Breeds from British Columbia, southern Mackenzie, and Nova Scotia southward. Spends winters in the southern states or wherever water remains open. Preferred habitats include marshes and ponds.
BreedingMonogamous, Solitary nester
PopulationVery common
MigrationSome migrate
Weight15.6 Ounces
Upright-perching Water-like BodyX
UnderpartsX
Belly, undertail coverts, chest, flanks, and foreneck.
Undertail covertsX
Small feathers that cover the areas where the retrices (tail feathers) attach to the rump.
UpperpartsX
Back, rump, hindneck, wings, and crown.
ChinX
The area of the face just below the bill.
4 and 6 letter alpha codesX

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

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ITIS CodesX

The Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) was established in the mid-1990�s as a cooperative project among several federal agencies to improve and expand upon taxonomic data (known as the NODC Taxonomic Code) maintained by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

To find the ITIS page for a bird species go to the ITIS web site advanced search and report page at http://www.itis.gov/advanced_search.html. You can enter the TSN or the common name of the bird. It will return the ITIS page for that bird. Another way to obtain the ITIS page is to use the Google search engine. Enter the string ITIS followed by the taxonomic ID, for example "ITIS 178041" will return the page for the Allen's Hummingbird.

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Parts of a Standing birdX
Head Feathers and MarkingsX
Parts of a Flying birdX