A small grebe with distinctive horn-like tufts in breeding plumage.
§ Quick facts
§ Encyclopedia
The horned grebe or Slavonian grebe is a relatively small and threatened species of waterbird in the family Podicipedidae. There are two subspecies, P. a. auritus, which breeds in Eurasia, and P. a. cornutus, which breeds in North America. The Eurasian subspecies is distributed over most of northern Europe and northern Asia, breeding from Iceland east to the Russian Far East. The North American subspecies spans most of Canada and some of the United States. A small population was cited in Greenland in 1973, but is not mapped or further mentioned by subsequent authors.
Source: Wikipedia — Horned grebe Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
§ Identification
Field marks. Small grebe with a flat crown and a straight bill with a pale tip. Breeding birds have golden 'horns' (ear tufts) on a black head with a rufous neck; winter birds clean black-and-white with a white cheek.
Similar species. Eared Grebe has a peaked crown and a dingier winter neck/cheek; Horned shows a flat crown and a crisp white cheek in winter.
Voice. A series of croaks and shrieks on the breeding grounds; mostly silent in winter.
§ Diet & behavior
Diet. Fish, aquatic invertebrates caught by foot-propelled dives.
Behavior. A compact diving waterbird that breeds on prairie and northern marshes and winters on coastal bays and lakes, diving for fish and invertebrates.
§ Range
Northern North America
§ Habitat
Lakes, marshes
§ Threats
Habitat loss.
§ Conservation status
According to the IUCN Red List, the horned grebe is currently classified as Vulnerable.
§ What helps
Support wetland conservation.
§ Further reading
- Wikipedia — Horned grebe
- www.allaboutbirds.org — authoritative profile of Podiceps auritus
- IUCN Red List — search for Podiceps auritus
- GBIF occurrence records
- Encyclopedia of Life — Podiceps auritus
§ Sources cited
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology — All About Birds
- National Audubon Society
- iNaturalist
- IUCN Red List
