Clark's Grebe Identification

The Four Keys to ID

• Size & Shape

  A large waterbird with a very long, slender neck, a fine, straight bill, and a relatively small body.

  Relative Size

  Larger and more slender than a Mallard, much smaller and slighter than a Common Loon.

  crow-sized

  Measurements

  • Both Sexes
  • • Length: 21.6-29.5 in (55-75 cm)
    • Weight: 25.3-44.4 oz (718-1258 g)
    • Wingspan: 22.8-25.2 in (58-64 cm)

  © Scott Somershoe / Macaulay Library

• Color Pattern

  A neat combination of blackish above and white below. The face is white up to and around the eye, where it meets the black cap. The bill is vivid orange or orange-yellow, and at close range the eye is red.

• Behavior

  Clark’s Grebes spend much of the day diving for prey or resting on the water’s surface. Courting birds pair off for ritualized displays that involve synchronized racing across the water in a nearly vertical position. These birds fly only infrequently and usually migrate at night.
• Habitat

  Western Grebes are rarely found away from aquatic habitats. Breeding birds use freshwater lakes; nonbreeding birds are found in both freshwater and along saltwater coasts.