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Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps)
Birds Around Las Vegas, Wildlife Around Las Vegas
Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps)
Pied-billed Grebe, breeding plumage

General Description: Pied-billed Grebes (Podilymbus podiceps) are small, sexually monomorphic water birds with legs set well back on the body (so much so that they can't really walk on land). Grebes look similar to ducks and often are found on ponds and marshes with ducks. Pied-billed Grebes are brown overall with a puffy, white rump. The bill is white and unusually thick for a grebe. In breeding season, pied-bills get a black patch under the chin and rusty red on the neck. Young birds have stripes on the face.

Grebes are divers and feed underwater.

Taxonomy: Podicipediformes, Podicipedidae

Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps)
Pied-billed Grebe, non-breeding plumage

Favored Habitat: Ponds and marshes.

Where to Find: Neighborhood ponds, parks (e.g., Lorenzi Park and Sunset Park), the Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve, and Boulder Beach Marina at Lake Mead NRA. To find them in more natural habitat, visit the Pahranagat Valley.

Comments: Grebes eat fish, crustaceans, and other tasty water bugs.

Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps) If you were a tasty water bug or a bit of pondweed, this might be the last face you ever see!
Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps)
Pied-billed Grebe, breeding plumage
Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps)
Pied-billed Grebe in breeding plumage; Balmorhea, Texas
Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps)
Pied-billed Grebe at Sunset Park, Urban Las Vegas
Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps)
Pied-billed Grebe, breeding plumage
Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps)
Pied-billed Grebe non-breeding plumage (note reduced bar on bill)
Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps)
Pied-billed Grebe non-breeding plumage (note lack of bar on bill)

Pied-billed Grebe adult and fledgling (note striped face)

Pied-billed Grebe fledgling (note striped face)
Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps)
Pied-billed Grebe, older fledgling (note facial striped fading)
Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps)
Pied-billed Grebe, older fledgling (note facial striped fading)
Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps)
Pied-billed Grebe; adult and fledgling
Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps)
Pied-billed Grebe; adult and fledgling
Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps)
Typical swimming position with feet to the side
Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps)
Typical swimming position with feet to the side
Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps)
Hauling nesting material from the bottom of the pond to the nest
Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps)
Pied-billed Grebe with crawdad

Note: All distances, elevations, and other facts are approximate.
copyright; Last updated 240105

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