Clark's Grebe

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Clark's Grebe
Nonbreeding plumage
Nonbreeding plumage
Conservation status
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Podicipediformes
Family: Podicipedidae
Genus: Aechmophorus
Species: A. clarkii
Binomial name
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 maintains local populations year-round in California, Nevada, Arizona-(the Lower Colorado River Valley), and central Mexico. It feeds by diving for carp, herring, mollusks, crabs, and salamanders.

It performs the same elaborate courtship display as the Western Grebe.

Contents

[edit] Gallery

Breeding plumage

On nest

[edit] References

[edit] Footnotes

  1. ^ 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].

[edit] External links