Grebes ( Podicipedidae )

1. Grebes( Podicipedidae ) By: Kristina Best Wetland Wildlife Management Eastern Kentucky University

2. Taxonomy of Grebes • Phylum: Chordata • Class: Aves • Order: Podicipediformes • Family: Podicipedidae • Genus: Podilymbus or Podiceps

3. The History of Grebes • Grebes have been around for at least 80 million years. • Many fossils have been found: Very successful species. • Not closely related to any other birds.

4. In General • Diving Birds • Legs set back on body • Toes with three lobes for swimming • Spend most of time in water and are very awkward on land • Many have not been studied extensively • Very diverse and interesting

5. In General • Distributed throughout the world • Absent from the arctic, antarctic, and some islands in the ocean • Grebes have one family (Podicipedidae), six genera, and 22 species • They leave the water only to nest, walking very short distances upright like penguins.

6. Grebe Toes • Grebes Have three asymmetrically lobed toes that are thought to aid in swimming. • Adds lift and increases energy efficiency. • The toes being separate increases lift to drag ratio. • (Johansson and Norberg 2000)

7. Grebe Diving • Feathers are dense and water proof • On underside, feathers are at right angles to the skin. • They stick straight out and then curl at the tip. • By pressing feathers against the body, grebes can adjust their buoyancy. • This allows them to swim in the water with only their heads above the water. • They will often do this to hide instead of flying away.

8. Pied-Billed GrebePodilymbus podiceps • 9-12 inches long • Sexes similar • Small grebe with a short, thick bill • Brown plumage that is darker on back • May or may not have a black ring around bill • White coverts under the tail

9. Pied Billed Grebe • Lives in fresh water, but will go to salt water in the winter when ponds and lakes freeze • Breeds in open water • Seasonally monogamous • Construct floating nests connected to vegitation • 2 to 10 pale bluish or greenish eggs • incubated by both parents • 23 days until hatch

10. Breeding Range

11. Winter Range

12. Pied-Billed Grebe • Chicks will ride on parents back or cling to tail, although they can swim right after hatching • Eat mostly aquatic invertebrates • Sometimes eat fish, small reptiles, and amphibians

13. Horned GrebePodiceps nigricollis • 12-15 inches long • Short pointed bill • Sexes similar • Short, thin, black bill with pale tip • Breeding: Head black with gold strip going from back of eye to back of head. Reddish neck, dark back, and white belly. • Winter: Black cap, hind-neck, and back.White face, fore-neck, and belly.

14. Horned Grebe • Breeds on marshes and lakes • Winters on saltwater and lakes that do not freeze • 4-7 bluish white eggs • Incubation 22-25 days • 45-60 days till fledge • Young can swim after hatching • Ride on parents back

15. Breeding Range

16. Winter Range

17. Horned Grebe • Eat mainly fish and aquatic invertebrates • Swallow own feathers which lodge in stomach and prevent fish bones from interring intestines • Rarely seen at night. Once on wintering grounds they seldom fly • Migrate at night

18. Eared GrebePodiceps nigricollis • 12 inches long with a 23 inch wingspan • Short, thin, black bill with no pale area • Sexes similar • Breeding: Black head with a golden ray of feathers behind eye. Black neck and back with reddish sides. • Winter: Gray/white neck and chin. Dark body with whitish sides.

19. Breeding Range

20. Winter Range

21. Red-necked Grebe(Podiceps grisegena) • 18-20 inches • has red neck, black cap, whitish cheeks, and long, pointed yellowish bill. • In winter, grey with paler cheeks and bill

22. Breeding Range

23. Winter Range

24. Western Grebe • 18 inches long with a 40 inch wing span • Long neck and long, yellow-green bill • Black crown, nape, and dark body • White neck and belly

25. Other Grebes

26. Key to the Grebes • Overall size?    = Robin-sized       Bill shape?           = short & thick .... Pied-billed Grebe           = thin bill              Eye color?                  =   yellow....  Least Grebe                  =   red                      Season?                         = summer                            Golden tuft?                                = horns like an expanding eyebrow....  Horned Grebe                                = ears fanning out behind eye....  Eared Grebe                         = winter                            Face?                                = black cap above eye, white face below eye....  Horned Grebe                                = black face with white U-shaped crescent along lower edge... Eared Grebe   = Mallard-sized      Neck color?          = red-fronted in summer or mottled gray in winter.... Red-necked Grebe          = black & white, sharply defined edges              Eye background?                  =   white around eye....  Clark's Grebe                  =   black around eye....  Western Grebe

27. Management Practices • Control sedimentation, pollution, and water levels • Develop or maintain wetlands • Don’t let livestock in or on bank of stream or wetland • Control predators: Wild dogs • Restrict human disturbance during migration, breeding, and nesting • Maintain good vegetation for breeding

28. Avoid installation of channels and dams Avoid dredging Control the use of herbicide, pesticide, and insecticide

29. Questions?