Pied-billed Grebe
Podilymbus podiceps · Grebes
Banding codePBGR
Keys to identifying it
1Size & shape
About 13 in long.
2Color pattern
- Small, chunky and brown
- Thick, chicken-like bill with a black ring in breeding season
- Tiny tail; fluffy white rear
3Habitat & season
Ponds, marshes, quiet reservoirs
In northern Utah: year-round.
Seen most often in November, December, January and February.
Share of the region’s research-grade iNaturalist bird observations each month, scaled to this bird’s peak. Highlighted bars are its peak months.
4Voice
A loud, whooping series that slows down.
“cow-cow-cow-cowp-cowp”
iNat 77393593 by Kristin M. Tolle · Deer Harbor, WA 98245, USA · CC BY
Know it
- Can sink slowly like a submarine until only its head shows.
- Rarely flies; it escapes danger by diving.
- Its loud call is a whooping 'cow-cow-cow.'
- Builds a floating nest anchored to plants.
Often confused with
Eared Grebe- Ring-necked Duck
- Little Grebe
From iNaturalist identification data for northern Utah.
From Wikipedia
The pied-billed grebe is a species of the grebe family of water birds primarily found in ponds throughout the Americas.
Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0