Adult Pied-billed Grebe, Image by Chris Conard
This month, let’s talk about Pied-billed Grebes. They are water birds, frequently seen swimming alone on bodies of water around the Sacramento region. Pied-billed Grebes spend a lot of time underwater; so it helps to scan the water repeatedly to see if one will surface.
Pied-billed Grebes are found in Canada, the United States, Central America, and in parts of South America. Populations that live in the southern regions of their range stay year-round. However, where water freezes in winter, Pied-billed Grebes migrate (move from one region to another according to the seasons) south before winter comes.
Pied-billed Grebes have an amazing ability to alter or control their buoyancy (the ability to float). If they wish to sink down underwater to escape danger, they have the ability to trap additional water in their feathers. The extra water increases their weight and down they go without leaving a single ripple on the water! Conversely, Pied-billed Grebes can simply release this stored water from their feathers and raise back up, just like an elevator! They frequently have only their heads peaking out from the water, like a submarine.
Pied-billed Grebes have a few different ways to hide or leave an area if intruders come around. Besides diving or sinking slowly into the water, they use is a crash-dive (belly flop). This is done by: first, pulling their head and rump above their belly and then, plunging into the water causing a big splash. This can frighten or startle potential predators and give Pied-billed Grebes time to swim away. In addition, they will swim long distances underwater to find safe areas.
Pied-billed Grebes are not often seen in flight. They are strong fliers; but are not great at flying around objects or in tight spaces. Also, Pied-billed Grebes must make a long running start on the water’s surface before they can lift up into the air. They usually just stay in the water unless they are migrating, which is done at night.
Adult and Juvenile Pied-billed Grebes, Image by Mary Forrestal
What do Pied-billed Grebes look like?
Pied-billed Grebes look somewhat like ducks; but they are members of an entirely different family of birds. The word ‘grebe’ in Latin means “feet at the buttocks (or rear end)”. The legs of Pied-billed Grebes are placed far back towards the rear which is common among diving birds. This adaptation helps them to be skillful swimmers and hunters in water; but it also causes them to be very awkward on land. The word ‘pied’ means “two colors” and refers to the two-toned bill color they have during nesting season.
Pied-billed Grebes are small diving birds with short necks, large heads, short, thick bills, and dark eyes. Male and female Pied-billed Grebes look alike. Their bills, in the nesting season, have a thick, black, vertical band that wraps around an otherwise bluish-silver or white bill. Pied-billed Grebes, overall, are dark brown birds with shiny and soft feathers. In the winter, they become reddish-brown and their bills become dull in color. They have gray feathers on the sides of their necks and body. Adult birds have a white ring encircling their eyes called an eye-ring and also have a black patch on their throats and necks in the nesting season. Pied-billed Grebes have essentially no tail to speak of. They only have a little bunch or tuft of feathers on their rear ends with white feathers on the underside.
Whereas ducks have webbed feet, Pied-billed Grebes have lobed feet. This means their feet have individual toe segments with gaps in-between. Having lobed feet is the reason they are extremely fast swimmers, even in water with dense vegetation. Because of this unique foot structure, there is less resistance in the water. Below are sketches of a lobed foot and a webbed foot:
Lobed Foot
Webbed Foot
Juvenile birds are a reddish-brown color with black and white striped heads. Young chicks also have a pinkish-red or yellow area of skin on their bills near their eyes and have black, white, and orange stripes on their heads.
Where do Pied-billed Grebes live?
Adult Pied-bill Grebe, Image by Larry Hickey
Look for Pied-billed Grebes in marshes, lakes, ponds, and other slow-moving bodies of water that have plants growing in the water. They use water plants and grasses for shelter and to make nests. During both migration and in the winter, Pied-billed Grebes are also seen in coastal bays.
Both male and female Pied-billed Grebes help to build floating nest platforms that support open bowl style nests. They use tender water plant material for constructing these structures. Pied-billed Grebes place their nests near the water’s edge in shallow water or in between the stems of plants in somewhat deeper water. They use vegetation, such as cattails, growing in the water to anchor their nest platforms.
Very soon after birth, baby Pied-billed Grebes leave their nest and are able to swim, dive, and catch food. They frequently climb onto the backs of their parents and can remain there for about 1-3 weeks. Some young birds will simply swim and follow their parents or they will cling to the rear feathers of their parents. Both parents help feed their young. At about 10 weeks after hatching, young birds head out on their own. By then, they are capable of finding enough food by themselves.
The population of Pied-billed Grebes has drastically declined over the past several years. They are no longer seen in some states where they used to be in the past. Our remaining wetland habitats need to have strong laws that preserve and protect them. We need to keep our wetlands free of pollutants and trash so that Pied-billed Grebes and other wildlife can continue to exist.
What do Pied-billed Grebes eat?
Pied-billed Grebes eat crayfish, small fish, frogs, spiders, shrimp, mussels, snails, tadpoles, seeds, some plant material, and insects. They dive underwater for the majority of their foods; but are also seen catching insects on the water’s surface or in the air.
It’s amazing; but Pied-billed Grebes eat a large quantity of their own feathers! They do this to prevent sharp shells and other foods from entering and damaging their intestines. The feathers act like a shield or a strainer inside their stomachs!
What do Pied-billed Grebes sound like?
Pied-billed Grebes are usually not all that vocal except during the nesting season. You can listen now to their sounds:
These calls and songs of the Pied-billed Grebe are from xeno-canto. More Pied-billed Grebe vocalizations can be found at xeno-canto.org/species/Podilymbus-podiceps.
