Clark's grebe

Clark's grebe (Aechmophorus clarkii) is a North American waterbird species in the grebe family. Until the 1980s, it was thought to be a pale morph of the western grebe, which it resembles in size, range, and behavior. Intermediates between the two species are known.

Clark's grebe
Nonbreeding plumage
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Podicipediformes
Family: Podicipedidae
Genus: Aechmophorus
Species:
A. clarkii
Binomial name
Aechmophorus clarkii
(Lawrence, 1858)
Approximate distribution map
  Breeding
  Year-round
  Nonbreeding

This species nests on large inland lakes in western North America and migrates to the Pacific coast over the winter. It maintains local populations year-round in California, Nevada, and Arizona (the Lower Colorado River Valley), as well as in central Mexico. It feeds by diving for insects, polychaete worms, crustaceans, and salamanders.

It performs the same elaborate courtship display as the western grebe.

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