Home/Species/ Eared Grebe

Podiceps nigricollis

Brehm, 1831

Eared Grebe

G5Secure Found in 104 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →

G5SecureGlobal Rank

Least concernIUCN

Identity

Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.100013

Element CodeABNCA03030

Record TypeSPECIES

ClassificationSpecies

Classification StatusStandard

Name CategoryVertebrate Animal

IUCNLeast concern

Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations

KingdomAnimalia

PhylumCraniata

ClassAves

OrderPodicipediformes

FamilyPodicipedidae

GenusPodiceps

Other Common Names

Black-necked Grebe (EN) Grèbe à cou noir (FR) Zambullidor Orejudo (ES)

Concept Reference

American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1998. Check-list of North American birds. Seventh edition. American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C. [as modified by subsequent supplements and corrections published in The Auk]. Also available online: http://www.aou.org/.

Taxonomic Comments

Potentially constitutes a superspecies with P. andinus and P. occipitalis (AOU 1998). P. andinus of Colombia sometimes considered a race of nigricollis (AOU 1998). P. caspicus, used by some authors for P. nigricollis, has been officially suppressed (AOU 1983, Banks and Browning 1995).

Conservation Status

Rank MethodExpertise without calculation

Review Date2016-04-09

Change Date1996-11-20

Range Extent>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)

Range Extent Comments

BREEDING: southwestern Canada east to Manitoba, south to northern Baja California, central Arizona, northern New Mexico, and southern Texas, east to Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, and Oklahoma, south locally to central Mexico (Chihua, Nayarit, Jalisco, Puebla); in South America (formerly) on temperate lakes in the eastern Andes of Colombia (considered full species, P. ANDINUS, by some). NON-BREEDING: mainly southern British Columbia to Guatemala on coast, and inland north to central California, northern Nevada, northern Utah, northern New Mexico, and central Texas inland; recently reported rarely but possibly regularly to El Salvador (see Stiles and Skutch 1989). The highest concentration in winter is on the Salton Sea, California (Root 1988). Also occurs in Eurasia and Africa.

Ecology & Habitat

Description

See Kaufman (1992, Am. Birds 46:1187-1190) for detailed information on identification of birds in basic plumage. Eggs: in Oregon, mean length was 44.6 mm, mean width was 30.2 mm, and mean mass was 22.8 g (Hill et al. 1995, Condor 97:1062-1064).

Habitat

Marshes, ponds and lakes; in migration and winter also salt lakes, bays, estuaries and seacoasts (AOU 1983). Some migrate to coast in fall, some remain inland in loose flocks on large bodies of freshwater during winter. Nests in areas with seasonal to permanent water: marsh, marshy section of lake, sewage pond, fishpond, newly flooded area, reservoir, river backwaters. Nests over water in shallow eutrophic wetlands that are particularly vulnerable to yearly fluctuations in water levels, including periodic natural lowering due to drought (Boe 1994). In Minnesota, preferred deep fresh marshes that were more than 30 ha in size and that contained 42-100% (mean 78%) open water; used wetlands were shallower and had more submergent vegetation and less treed perimeter than did unused wetlands, and they were less likely to have a public access and received less human use in summer (Boe 1992). Nest is mound of aquatic vegetation in shallow water.

Ecology

Gregarious at all times of the year. Several hundred thousand may congregate in late summer and fall at Mono Lake, California. Mass downings of migrants sometimes occur in southern Utah in December (Condor 95:470-473). In Minnesota, waves generated by high winds destroyed 44% of 2370 nests examined; nest predation rate was very low (Boe 1994).

Reproduction

Breeding begins mid-April in south, late May-June in north. In Minnesota, nest initiation dates ranged from late May through the third week in July; nesting was moderately to highly synchronous within a colony (Boe 1994). Both adults, in turn, incubate an average of 3-4 eggs for 20-22 days. Young reportedly are independent in 3 weeks. Usually nests in colony (100 pairs on 1 lake is not unusual) on larger lakes. In Minnesota, colonies included 15 to 580+ nests, with 3-41 nests per 100 sq m (Boe 1994).

Palustrine Habitats

HERBACEOUS WETLAND

Other Nations (2)

CanadaN5B,N3N

Province	Rank	Native
Manitoba	S3B	Yes
Saskatchewan	S5B	Yes
British Columbia	S3B	Yes
Yukon Territory	S1B	Yes
Alberta	S5B	Yes
Ontario	S2M	Yes

United StatesN5B,N5N

Province	Rank	Native
South Dakota	S4B	Yes
Kansas	S1B	Yes
North Dakota	SNRB	Yes
Ohio	SNA	Yes
Navajo Nation	S2B,S4N	Yes
Florida	SNA	Yes
Arizona	S3B,S5N	Yes
Wyoming	S4B	Yes
Kentucky	SNA	Yes
Idaho	S3B,S3N	Yes
Arkansas	S3N	Yes
Texas	S3B,S5N	Yes
Washington	S3B,S4N	Yes
Alabama	S3N	Yes
New York	SNRN	Yes
California	SNRB,SNRN,SNRM	Yes
Tennessee	S3N	Yes
Michigan	SNRN	Yes
Minnesota	SNRB	Yes
Montana	S5B	Yes
Mississippi	SNA	Yes
Oregon	S4	Yes
Nebraska	S4	Yes
Wisconsin	SNA	Yes
Nevada	S4B	Yes
Oklahoma	SNRN	Yes
Utah	S2	Yes
Louisiana	S4N	Yes
Iowa	S2N	Yes
North Carolina	SNA	Yes
South Carolina	SNA	Yes
New Mexico	S3B,S5N	Yes
Colorado	S3B	Yes
Illinois	SNA	Yes
Missouri	SNA	Yes

Threat Assessments

Threat	Scope	Severity	Timing
4 - Transportation & service corridors	Large - small	Slight or 1-10% pop. decline	High (continuing)
4.2 - Utility & service lines	Large - small	Slight or 1-10% pop. decline	High (continuing)
5 - Biological resource use	Large - small	Moderate or 11-30% pop. decline	Insignificant/negligible or past
5.1 - Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals	Large - small	Moderate or 11-30% pop. decline	Insignificant/negligible or past
6 - Human intrusions & disturbance	Large - small	Slight or 1-10% pop. decline	High (continuing)
6.1 - Recreational activities	Large - small	Slight or 1-10% pop. decline	High (continuing)
8 - Invasive & other problematic species, genes & diseases	Small (1-10%)	Extreme or 71-100% pop. decline	Moderate (short-term)
8.1 - Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases	Small (1-10%)	Extreme or 71-100% pop. decline	Moderate (short-term)
9 - Pollution	Small (1-10%)	Extreme or 71-100% pop. decline	Moderate (short-term)
9.2 - Industrial & military effluents	Small (1-10%)	Extreme or 71-100% pop. decline	Moderate (short-term)
11 - Climate change & severe weather	Large - small	Moderate - slight	Low (long-term)
11.3 - Temperature extremes	Large - small	Moderate - slight	Low (long-term)

Roadless Areas (104)

Arizona (2)

Area	Forest	Acres
Black Cross	Tonto National Forest	5,966
Goldfield	Tonto National Forest	15,257

California (32)

Area	Forest	Acres
Agnew	Sequoia National Forest	9,561
Cajon	San Bernardino National Forest	7,548
Caples Creek	Eldorado National Forest	17,854
City Creek	San Bernardino National Forest	9,997
Deep Creek	San Bernardino National Forest	23,869
Devil's Gate (CA)	Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest	9,946
East Yuba	Tahoe National Forest	17,968
Excelsior (CA)	Inyo National Forest	45,607
Fox Mountain	Los Padres National Forest	52,072
Glass Mountain	Inyo National Forest	52,867
Granite Chief	Tahoe National Forest	6,546
Greenhorn Creek	Sequoia National Forest	28,226
Hall Natural Area	Inyo National Forest	5,236
Horse Mdw.	Inyo National Forest	5,687
Kings River	Sierra National Forest	52,999
Log Cabin Saddlebag	Inyo National Forest	15,165
Long Meadow	Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest	11,967
Malduce Buckhorn	Los Padres National Forest	14,177
Mt. Jackson	Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest	20,721
Nevahbe Ridge	Inyo National Forest	302
North Lake	Inyo National Forest	2,406
Poison Hole	Eldorado National Forest	2,627
Raymond Peak	Stanislaus National Forest	3,646
Sespe - Frazier	Los Padres National Forest	106,910
Silver Hill	Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest	4,423
Soldier Canyon	Inyo National Forest	40,589
Sweetwater (CA)	Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest	19,241
Table Mtn.	Inyo National Forest	4,215
Tioga Lake	Inyo National Forest	829
Waterhouse	Stanislaus National Forest	4,394
Wild Horse Mtn. (CA)	Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest	28,822
Woolstaff	Sequoia National Forest	41,445

Colorado (2)

Area	Forest	Acres
Dome Peak	Routt NF	35,716
San Miguel	San Juan NF	64,263

Idaho (3)

Area	Forest	Acres
Bear Creek	Caribou-Targhee National Forest	118,582
Borah Peak	Salmon-Challis National Forest	130,463
Peace Rock	Boise National Forest	191,734

Montana (12)

Area	Forest	Acres
Bear - Marshall - Scapegoat - Swan	Lewis and Clark National Forest	344,022
Bear - Marshall - Scapegoat - Swan	Lolo National Forest	118,485
Big Log	Helena National Forest	8,954
Big Snowy Mountains Wsa	Lewis and Clark National Forest	88,003
Bmss Ra 1485	Flathead National Forest	334,275
Freezeout Mountain	Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest	97,305
Gallatin Fringe	Gallatin National Forest	51,571
Holter	Helena National Forest	1,965
Hyalite - Porcupine - Buffalo Horn Wilderness Study Area	Gallatin National Forest	143,991
Madison	Gallatin National Forest	127,859
Mt. Gmt Area H	Custer National Forest	1,335
North Absaroka	Gallatin National Forest	159,075

Nevada (8)

Area	Forest	Acres
Antelope - West 1	Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest	8,642
Bald Mtn.	Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest	41,598
Bunker Hill	Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest	27,569
Four Mile	Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest	24,093
Pearl Peak	Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest	71,405
Table Mtn. - East	Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest	87,789
Toiyabe Range	Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest	99,225
Ward Mountain	Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest	15,927

New Mexico (2)

Area	Forest	Acres
Gila Box	Gila National Forest	23,759
Meadow Creek	Gila National Forest	34,167

Oregon (9)

Area	Forest	Acres
Bearwallows	Deschutes National Forest	7,317
Hellhole	Umatilla National Forest	65,679
Jaussaud Corral	Umatilla National Forest	5,535
Mt. Jefferson	Deschutes National Forest	2,282
Mt. Bailey	Umpqua National Forest	18,401
North Paulina	Deschutes National Forest	19,670
Sky Lakes A	Winema National Forest	3,940
South Paulina	Deschutes National Forest	9,074
Walla Walla River	Umatilla National Forest	34,416

South Dakota (1)

Area	Forest	Acres
Indian Creek	Buffalo Gap National Grassland	24,666

Texas (1)

Area	Forest	Acres
Big Creek	National Forests in Texas	1,447

Utah (20)

Area	Forest	Acres
0401023	Ashley National Forest	8,352
0419020	Ashley National Forest	355,684
418013	Uinta National Forest	14,643
418025	Uinta National Forest	32,698
Boulder Mtn. / Boulder Top / Deer Lake	Dixie National Forest	110,690
Bunker Creek	Dixie National Forest	7,474
Cottonwood	Dixie National Forest	6,754
Fishlake Mountain	Fishlake National Forest	25,217
High Uintas (UT)	Wasatch-Cache National Forest	102,398
Lakes	Wasatch-Cache National Forest	121,967
Little Creek	Fishlake National Forest	11,479
Moody Wash	Dixie National Forest	31,835
North Pavant	Fishlake National Forest	53,262
Pine Valley Mountains	Dixie National Forest	57,673
Rock Canyon	Dixie National Forest	16,457
Stansbury Mountains	Wasatch-Cache National Forest	39,696
Table Cliffs - Henderson Canyon	Dixie National Forest	19,581
Temple Peak	Wasatch-Cache National Forest	24,081
Thousand Lake Mountain	Fishlake National Forest	27,267
Wellsville	Wasatch-Cache National Forest	1,717

Washington (2)

Area	Forest	Acres
Entiat	Wenatchee National Forest	72,617
Rock Creek	Wenatchee National Forest	32,239

Wyoming (10)

Area	Forest	Acres
Beartooth Proposed Wilderness	Shoshone National Forest	16,837
Little Bighorn	Bighorn National Forest	133,949
Salt River Range	Bridger-Teton National Forest	235,661
Sibley Lake	Bighorn National Forest	10,367
South Beartooth Highway	Shoshone National Forest	105,570
South Wyoming Range	Bridger-Teton National Forest	85,776
Teton Corridor Trailheads	Bridger-Teton National Forest	286
Walker Prairie	Bighorn National Forest	62,434
West Slope Tetons	Targhee National Forest	47,448
West Slope Winds	Bridger-Teton National Forest	143,252

References (24)

American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1983. Check-list of North American Birds, 6th edition. Allen Press, Inc., Lawrence, Kansas. 877 pp.
American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1998. Check-list of North American birds. Seventh edition. American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C. [as modified by subsequent supplements and corrections published in <i>The Auk</i>]. Also available online: http://www.aou.org/.
Banks, R. C., and M. R. Browning. 1995. Comments on the status of revived old names for some North American birds. Auk 112:633-648.
BirdLife International. 2004b. Threatened birds of the world 2004. CD ROM. BirdLife International, Cambridge, UK.
Boe, J. S. 1992. wetland selection by eared grebes, PODICEPS NIGRICOLLIS, in Minnesota. Can. Field-Nat. 106:480-488.
Boe, J. S. 1994. Nest site selection by eared grebes in Minnesota. Condor 96:19-35.
Glover, F. A. 1953. Nesting ecology of the pied-billed grebe in northwestern Iowa. Wilson Bulletin 65:32-9.
Harrison, C. 1978. A Field Guide to the Nests, Eggs and Nestlings of North American Birds. Collins, Cleveland, Ohio.
Howell, S. N. G., and S. Webb. 1995. A guide to the birds of Mexico and northern Central America. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK.
Jehl, J. R. 1988. Biology of the Eared Grebe and Wilson's Phalarope in the nonbreeding seson: a study of adaptations to saline lakes. Cooper Ornithol. Soc., Studies in Avian Biology No. 12. iv + 74 pp.
Johnsgard, P. A. 1987. Diving birds of North America. Univ. Nebraska Press, Lincoln. xii + 292 pp.
Muller, M. J. 1995. Pied-billed Grebes nesting on Green Lake, Seattle, Washington. Washington Birds 4:35-59.
Oberholser, H.C. 1974. The bird life of Texas. 2 vols. Univ. of Texas Press, Austin.
Palmer, R. S. (editor). 1962. Handbook of North American birds. Vol. 1. Loons through flamingos. Yale University Press, New Haven. 567 pp.
Parker III, T. A., D. F. Stotz, and J. W. Fitzpatrick. 1996. Ecological and distributional databases for neotropical birds. The University of Chicago Press, Chicago.
Paton, P. W., C. Kneedy, and E. Sorensen. 1992. Chronology of shorebird and ibis use of selected marshes at Great Salt Lake. Utah Birds 8(1):1-19.
Peterson, R.T. 1980b. A field guide to the birds of eastern and central North America. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston.
Peterson, R.T. 1990b. A field guide to western birds. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston.
Poole, A. F. and F. B. Gill. 1992. The birds of North America. The American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C. and The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, PA.
Rappole, J.H., Morton, E.S., Lovejoy, T.E. and Ruos, J.L. 1983. Nearctic avian migrants in the Neotropics. U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service and World Wildlife Fund, Washington D.C.
Root, T. 1988. Atlas of wintering North American birds: An analysis of Christmas Bird Count data. University of Chicago Press. 336 pp.
Sibley, D. A. 2000a. The Sibley guide to birds. Alfred A. Knopf, New York.
Stiles, F. G. and A. F. Skutch. 1989. A guide to the birds of Costa Rica. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, New York, USA. 511 pp.
Terres, J. K. 1980. The Audubon Society encyclopedia of North American birds. Alfred A. Knopf, New York.

Podiceps nigricollis

Description

Habitat

Ecology

Reproduction

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