When disturbed or suspicious, it may sink slowly until only head is above water. When disturbed, it sinks like a submarine, rather than diving, and re-emerges with only its head above water. small duck-like bird found on rivers and lakes. Identifying waterfowl gives many hours of enjoyment to millions of people. In winter, they are gray overall with a black cap and contrasting white cheek. The Pied-billed Grebe is a nocturnal migrant that prefers to swim or dive away from danger rather than fly. Red eye visible at close range. Grebes are small to medium-sized water birds, characterised by their pointed bills (long and dagger-like in larger species), round bodies, tiny tails and legs set far back on the body. Breeding adults have long yellow tuft behind red eye, black cheek, and rusty body. The most common species on European territory is the big duck grebe, otherwise called the chomga. However, representatives of this species are often called the toadstool duck. From Great Crested and Red-necked to Slavonian and Black-necked, separating grebes in winter plumage can be challenging. Pied-billed Grebe -- Length: 13 inches, Wing span: 16 inches. Her growth is in the range from 23 to 75 cm, weight is from about 120 to 1500 g. Extant species range in size from the least grebe, at 120 grams (4.3 oz) and 23.5 cm (9.3 inches), to the great grebe, at 1.7 kg (3.8 lbs) and 71 cm (28 inches). Since the Atitlán Grebe, Podilymbus gigas, has become extinct, it is the sole extant member of the genus Podilymbus. Notice the stout bill. Pied-billed Grebe. This species breeds throughout the Palearctic region, with outlier populations as far away as southern Africa and Australia and New Zealand. The Pied-billed Grebe, (Podilymbus podiceps)[1], is a member of the grebe family of water birds. The North American and Eurasian species are all, of necessity, migratory over much or all of their ranges, and those species that winter at sea are also seen regularly in flight. Ducks at a Distance Comparative Size Chart Eclipse Plumage What to Look For. This identification video from the BTO discusses all the features to help identify them with confidence. Rarely seen in flight. Breeds on marshy ponds; often seen on large lakes and open ocean, far away from the shoreline and away from vegetation during winter and migration. Dives for fish. Identification of Diving Ducks, including descriptions and images. Compact body with thin bill. ma ri ct nj de md hi me nh vt ny pa wv va nc sc ga fl al ms tn ky oh mi in wi il la ar mo ia mn nd sd ne ks ok tx nm co wy mt id ut az ca nv or wa ak This is Britain's most familiar and much-loved grebe, a common breeding bird on lakes, reservoirs, meres and gravel pits across much of the country, but most common in the South and East. Today 12/18/2020 late afternoon 4:30 photographing birds from a dock on a deep salt water tidal creek behind Sullivans Island SC. Far less sociable than most grebes, almost never in flocks, sometimes found singly on small marshy ponds. The pied-billed grebe is an aquatic species that breeds at the edge of open water in freshwater lakes, ponds, sluggish rivers, and marshes. This bird just flew into my field of view and I got only this one photograph. The most widespread grebe in the New World, and the most familiar in most temperate parts of North America. Face : Both species have a white face with a prominent black cap, but on Clark's grebes the red eye is surrounded by white while on western grebes the red eye is surrounded by black or dark gray. Great Crested Grebe. Often secretive in the breeding season, hiding in marsh, … The crested grebe is slightly smaller than the classic duck. 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