Appearance
The western grebe is the largest North American grebe. It is 55–75 cm long, weighs 795–2,000 g and measures 79–102 cm across the wings. It is black-and-white, with a long, slender, swan-like neck and red eyes. It is easily confused with Clark's grebe, which shares similar features, body size, behavior and habitat, and hybrids are known.The western grebe has black around the eyes and a straight greenish-yellow bill whereas the Clark's grebe has white around the eyes and an up-turned bright yellow bill. The downy young of Western are grey; Clark's downy young are white.
Naming
There are two subspecies of the western grebe:⤷ ''A. o. occidentalis'', , western Canada & USA
⤷ ''A. o. ephemeralis'', , western Mexico
Reproduction
Western grebes nest in colonies of hundreds on large inland lakes, sometimes using coastal marshes, in western North America. It has a spectacular courtship display; two birds will rear up and patter across the water's surface. Northern birds migrate west to coastal ocean in winter; birds in the southwest and Mexico may be permanent residents.Food
This bird dives for carp, herring, mollusks, crabs, and salamanders.References:
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