Podiceps
auritus
(Horned
Grebe)
Physical
Description:
Size: 12-15" (30-40
cm). Sexes similar. During breeding season, rusty neck and lower-parts. Distinctive
golden ear tufts. Dark head and back. Bill slender and dark. In flight, leading
edge of wing white, white speculum
. In winter, black "cap"
on head with white neck.
Similar Species- Eared Grebe has black neck and crested head, no white on leading edge of wing. Red-necked Grebe is larger with white cheek and long bill with yellow base.
Song:
High squeals or a sharp
ka-raa during breeding season. Generally silent.
Distribution:
Breeds in central and
southern Alaska and Canada, south to Idaho, northern South Dakota, northern
Iowa, and central Wisconsin. Winters mainly coastally south to California, Texas,
and Florida. May breed rarely in southeastern Idaho.
Diet:
Usually eats small fishes,
crustacians, and aquatic insects, but will also consume amphibians and leeches.
Ecology:
Usually nests among tall vegetation
in shallow water. Predation may result in high nest losses. Size of breeding
territory reflects location and abundance of food supply. Forages by diving
in shallow water, often near emergent vegetation, but will also pick food from
water surface or from vegetation. Usually not gregarious, except at staging and
resting areas prior to and during migration.
4-6 eggs for 22-25 days.
Young are tended by one or both parents; most young fledge by 6-7 wk. Female renests
if nest is destroyed.
Conservation:
| Element Code: | ABNCA03010 |
| Status: | Protected nongame species |
| Global Rank: | G5 |
| State Rank: | S1 |
| National Rank: | N5B,N5N |
Important
State References:
No references are available at this time.