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Clark's Grebe

Aechmophorus clarkiiOrder: PODICIPEDIFORMESFamily: Grebes (Podicipedidae)
Clark's Grebe Portrait
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Range Map for Clark's Grebe

Overview

Clark's Grebe: Large grebe, gray-black upperparts, white underparts, and slender neck with white on front and black on back. White face, black cap extends nearly to red eyes. Bill is yellow-orange. Until the 1980's thought to be a pale morph of the Western Grebe. Direct flight on rapid wing beats.

Range and Habitat

Clark's Grebe: Breeds from British Columbia, Saskatchewan, and Minnesota south to southern California, and sparsely to Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado. Spends winters along the coast from southeastern Alaska to California, along the Gulf coast, and on large river systems in west. Breeds on large lakes with reeds or rushes; winters mainly on shallow coastal bays and estuaries.

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Listen:

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Voice Text

"kree-eek"

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Recommended Products:

Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Eastern North America
The Sibley Guide to Birds has quickly become the new standard of excellence in bird identification guides, covering more than 810 North American birds in amazing detail. Sibley's new portable guide is the one book every birder will want to carry into the field. Compact and comprehensive, this new guide features 650 bird species plus regional populations found east of the Rocky Mountains. Includes stunningly accurate illustrations-more than 4,200 in total. Features brand-new color-coded maps created from information contributed by 110 regional experts across the continent. The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Eastern North America is an indispensable resource for all birders seeking an authoritative and portable guide. Softcover, 431 pages
Golden Field Guide Birds of North America
This classic field guide is complete and compact enough to fit inside any backpack or picnic basket. Spot the silhouette of a Northern Goshawk in flight. Identify the raucous call of the Red-winged Blackbird. Discover the secret of picking out a Chipping Sparrow from its look-alike cousins. It's simple with this classic field guide, a treasured favorite among amateur bird lovers and exacting professionals. Recognized as the authority on bird identification, this invaluable resource provides all of North America in one volume. Features over 800 species and 600 range maps with Arthur Singer's famous illustrations featuring male, female, and juvenile plumage. Also includes: sonograms that picture sound for easy song recognition, migration routes, feeding habits, characteristic flight patterns, American ornithologists' classifications, convenient check boxes to record birds you have identified, and color tabs for quick references. Revised and Updated. Hardcover, 359 pages

Related Birds:

Western Grebe
Horned Grebe
Red-necked Grebe
Red-throated Loon
Pacific Loon
.
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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Family Grebe (Podicipedidae)_blue
Species Aechmophorus clarkii
Length26 Inches
Wingspan35 Inches

Clark's Grebe

Clark's Grebe: Large grebe, gray-black upperparts, white underparts, and slender neck with white on front and black on back. White face, black cap extends nearly to red eyes. Bill is yellow-orange. Until the 1980's thought to be a pale morph of the Western Grebe. Direct flight on rapid wing beats.

● Song: "kree-eek"

● Foraging & Feeding: Clark's Grebe: Diet consists mostly of fish, but also takes insects and other invertebrates; sometimes eats amphibians and plants; forages by diving from the surface.

● Breeding & nesting: Clark's Grebe: One to six pale blue eggs are laid on a floating nest anchored to reeds; usually nests in dense, noisy colonies. Incubation ranges from 23 to 24 days and is carried out by both parents.

● Similar species: Clark's Grebe: Western Grebe has greener bill. Horned and Eared grebes are smaller with much shorter bills that are never yellow. Red-necked Grebe is smaller and lacks bold black-and-white neck pattern.

Flight Pattern

Direct flight with rapid wing beats.
Clark's Grebe Body Illustration
● Range & Habitat: Clark's Grebe: Breeds from British Columbia, Saskatchewan, and Minnesota south to southern California, and sparsely to Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado. Spends winters along the coast from southeastern Alaska to California, along the Gulf coast, and on large river systems in west. Breeds on large lakes with reeds or rushes; winters mainly on shallow coastal bays and estuaries.
BreedingMonogamous, Colonial
PopulationCommon to fairly common
MigrationSome migrate
Weight52.8 Ounces