Birds · Podicipediformes · Podicipedidae

Pied-billed Grebe

Podilymbus podiceps

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The pied-billed grebe is a small brown grebe with a thick bill crossed in summer by a black band. It is the only member of its genus and is spread across almost the whole of the Americas, from Canada to Argentina. Rather than flying off when danger comes, it sinks slowly until it disappears with barely a ripple, controlling its buoyancy with the air trapped in its plumage.

Weight

250 g – 570 g

Size

31 cm – 38 cm

Lifespan

12 years

Diet

Carnivore

Feeds mainly on other animals.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Social structure

In pairs

Usually lives in pairs, sometimes for life.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

FreshwaterCarnivore Diurnal In pairs Bird Freshwater

12countries5same family

Fun facts

It sinks rather than dives: it compresses its plumage to push out the air and goes slowly down until it disappears with barely a ripple, a trick that has earned it local names referring to the devil or to witchcraft in several languages of the Americas.
It can stay submerged with only its eyes and nostrils out of the water, like a crocodile, keeping watch for minutes at a time.
Like all grebes, it eats its own feathers and feeds them to its chicks: they form a mass in the stomach that wraps around fish bones.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)
Habitat & environment: Lagoons, marshes, reservoirs and slow rivers with marsh vegetation throughout the Americas
Sexual maturity: 12 months
Gestation / incubation: 23 days
Litter / clutch size: 6.23 (average)

Sources consulted: https://www.iucnredlist.org/ | https://animaldiversity.org/ | https://es.wikipedia.org/