tags: grebes, birds, Image of the Day
Clark's Grebe, Aechmorphus clarkii, in the foreground with a Western Grebe, Aechmorphus occidentalis, behind. Both were photographed on the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge (north end of the Great Salt Lake) in the spring of 2005. Similar birds, but the field marks are straw-yellow bill (Clark's) cf. greenish-yellow bill (Western); white feathering around the eye (Clark's) cf black (Western), and whiter flanks on the Clark's Grebe. This pair of birds was hanging out together, and that was not unusual, making one wonder if splitting these into two separate species (which occurred sometime in the 1980's) was really justified. Apparently they do hybridize as well.
Image: Dave Rintoul, KSU [larger]
- Log in to post comments
More like this
tags: Birds in the News, BirdNews, ornithology, birds, avian, newsletter
Clark's Grebe, Aechmorphus clarkii, in the foreground with a Western Grebe, Aechmorphus occidentalis, behind. Both were photographed on the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge (north end of the Great Salt Lake) in the spring of…
tags: Birds in the News, BirdNews, ornithology, birds, avian, newsletter
Clark's Grebe, Aechmorphus clarkii, in the foreground with a Western Grebe, Aechmorphus occidentalis, behind. Both were photographed on the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge (north end of the Great Salt Lake) in the spring of…
tags: Clark's Grebe, Aechmorphus clarkii, Image of the Day
Clark's Grebe, Aechmorphus clarkii.
Image: Dave Rintoul, KSU [larger]
Due to a weekend of scientific congress and drunken debauchery [Editor's Note: scientists don't drink!!] with my SciBlings here in NYC, I was unable to complete this…
tags: Pied-billed Grebe chick, Podilymbus podiceps, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Pied-billed Grebe chick, Podilymbus podiceps, photographed in California. [I will identify this bird for you tomorrow]
Image: John del Rio [larger view].
Please name at least one field mark…
Aechmophorus grebes have become one of my favourite examples for the difficulties of defining a 'species'. Apparently the two species tend to keep separate early in the breeding season, but as the season gets closer to the end (and, no doubt, those individuals that haven't yet found a mate become more desparate) they apparently become more willing to accept a mate from the 'wrong' species.
Nuechterlein, G. L., & D. Buitron. 1998. Interspecific mate choice by late-courting male western grebes. Behavioral Ecology 9: 313-321.
They sound just like humans to me!