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Location: Wild Animal Park, Escondido, CA
Date: 2005-02-05
Lens: Canon 400mm F5.6
Date: 2005-02-05
Lens: Canon 400mm F5.6
Pied-Billed Grebe
Podilymbus podiceps
DescriptionThis is a small, diving bird that feeds on aquatic insects, small fish, and crustaceans. This Grebe is very shy and dives underwater or hides in aquatic vegetation when scared. These are solitary birds. Their nests are designed to float on the waters surface, but are usually attached to some vegetation. Pied-Billed Grebes are monogamous over the breeding season. The young can often be seen riding on their parents' back.
Small bird with a brown, stocky body. Short, thick, whitish bill with a black ring (breeding season). Feet set far back on its body. White undertail coverts. Whitish throat. Darker crown and back. Sexes similiar. 12 to 15 inches in length.
Marshes, ponds/lakes (salt and freshwater), and open wetlands.
Nesting5-7 whitish eggs with brown stains and a 23 day incubation period. Fledging occurs ? days after hatching. The nest is a floating mass of dead plant vegetation anchored to other plants or reeds.
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