Pied-billed Grebe

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.

INTERESTING FACTS

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. The Pied-billed Grebe is rarely seen in flight. It prefers to escape predators by diving, and it migrates at night. A group of grebes are collectively known as a "water dance" of grebes.