Clark's Grebe
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| Aechmophorus clarkii (Lawrence, 1858) |
The Clark's Grebe (Aechmophorus clarkii[1]) is a North American species of the grebe family of water birds.
Up to the 1980s, it was thought to be a pale morph of the Western Grebe, which it resembles in size, range, and behavior. Intermediates between the two species are known.
The Clark's Grebe is black-and-white, with a long, slender, swan-like neck. It ranges in size from 22"-29".
Among its distinguishing features is its bill, which is slightly upturned and bright yellow, where as the Western Grebe's bill is straight and greenish-yellow. It shows white around its eyes, whereas black appears around the eyes of the Western Grebe. The downy young are white, not gray.
This species nests on large inland lakes in western North America and migrates to the Pacific coast in winter. It feeds by diving for carp, herring, mollusks, crabs, and salamanders.
It performs the same elaborate courtship display as the Western Grebe.
[edit] References
- BirdLife International (2004). Aechmophorus clarkii. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 09 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ Etymology: Aechmophorus, "spear-bearer", from Ancient Greek aichme (a spear) + phoros (one who bears something around), in reference to its bill. clarkii, honoring John Henry Clark (c.1830-c.1885)[verification needed].
