John Avise continues his series on “Faux ducks”, waterbirds that look like ducks but aren’t. Your job is to guess the species, and, if you can’t, learn it. Below the fold is the ID as well as some of John’s Fun Faux Duck Facts and a range map. Ok, ready, set. . . guess! (Click photos to enlarge them.)
Adult resting (note the foot position):
Adult swimming:
Rear view:
Frontal view on a cloudy day:
Pair preparing to run across the water:
Rare sight of bird on land:
Flock on open water:
Head portrait:
Head-on portrait:
Click “read more” for the ID, fun duck facts, and a range map:
ID: Western Grebe (Aechmophorus occidentalis)
This member of the family Podicipedidae is larger than any of the other grebe species we have considered thus far. It is a handsome black-and-white bird that always looks to me like it is dressed in an elegant tuxedo. And to complete this formal look, both sexes also have a large and pointed yellowish-olive bill and bright red eyes. During courtship, paired birds engage in spectacular, parallel rushes in which they run upright across the water’s surface. They then build nests of aquatic vegetation in colonies on large inland lakes or coastal marshes. After the chicks hatch, they sometimes hitch rides on the backs of their parents. Like other grebes, this species eats crustaceans, mollusks, and frogs and fish (that they either grab or spear with their sharply-pointed bill). [Stay tuned for next week’s post, which highlights another grebe species that closely resembles the Western Grebe and can be easily confused with it.]
JAC: I’ve put up a video of the striking courtship activity of this species. The “parallel rushing” occurs 55 seconds in. And make no mistake about it: the female is very closely observing what the male does. Who knows what they’re inspecting? Could it be the vigor of the male? That’s sexual selection, Jake!
And a range map from the Cornell bird site:
I’m detecting a pattern here… Grebe… the last photo is exquisite!
That one said Grebe to me instantly, though it is somewhat different to the ones we get over here the head has a distinctive “grebeness”.
I volunteered with a researcher gathering data on Western and Clark’s grebes on Lake Lowell last year. We counted something like 2500 birds. One question was why do the grebe do so well on Lake Lowell, but are not in high numbers on any of the surrounding lakes? TBD.
The Clark’s grebe is very similar to the Western and can be distinguished most easily by the white plumage that extends around the eyes. Here’s the Clark’s for comparison.
Thanks for sharing!
This is one of those cases where I ‘knew’ what it was, but the name was not coming up.
I see these grebes often around here. I love to watch them dive. They seem joyful.
Another one of those birds you almost never see flying.