Clarks grebe
Aechmophorus clarkii
Clark's grebe is a North American 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.
The "Clark" of its common name—and its specific epithet ''clarkii''—honors John Henry Clark, a 19th-century American surveyor who was also a naturalist and collector. The genus name ''Aechmophorus'' comes from the Ancient Greek words "aichme", meaning spear, and "phoros", meaning someone who bears things around; it refers to the bird's long, daggerlike beak.
This species nests on large inland lakes in western North America and migrates to the Pacific coast in winter. It maintains local populations year-round in California, Nevada, and Arizona , as well as in central Mexico. It feeds by diving for carp, herring, mollusks, crabs, and salamanders.
It performs the same elaborate courtship display as the western grebe.
The "Clark" of its common name—and its specific epithet ''clarkii''—honors John Henry Clark, a 19th-century American surveyor who was also a naturalist and collector. The genus name ''Aechmophorus'' comes from the Ancient Greek words "aichme", meaning spear, and "phoros", meaning someone who bears things around; it refers to the bird's long, daggerlike beak.
This species nests on large inland lakes in western North America and migrates to the Pacific coast in winter. It maintains local populations year-round in California, Nevada, and Arizona , as well as in central Mexico. It feeds by diving for carp, herring, mollusks, crabs, and salamanders.
It performs the same elaborate courtship display as the western grebe.
