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Podiceps auritus

(Linnaeus, 1758)

Horned Grebe

G5Secure Found in 51 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
VulnerableIUCN
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.101899
Element CodeABNCA03010
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNVulnerable
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassAves
OrderPodicipediformes
FamilyPodicipedidae
GenusPodiceps
Other Common Names
Grèbe esclavon (FR) Zambullidor Cornudo (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/.
Conservation Status
Rank MethodExpertise without calculation
Review Date2016-04-09
Change Date1996-11-20
Edition Date2014-02-24
Edition AuthorsJue, Dean K.
Range Extent>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences81 to >300
Rank Reasons
Common in many portions of the large range, but trends are declining for at least some of the regions.
Range Extent Comments
BREEDS: central and southern Alaska and Canada south to Idaho, northern South Dakota, northern Iowa, and central Wisconsin, with the highest breeding densities in southwestern Manitoba; Iceland, Faroes, Eurasia. WINTERS: in North America, mainly along the coast south to California, Texas, Florida (less commonly interiorly, from the Great Lakes south); in Old World south to Mediterranean Sea, Iran, and Japan. Areas of highest winter density include northwestern Washington and the Gulf Coast near Pensacola (Florida); to a lesser degree, various national wildlife refuges along the Atlantic coast from South Carolina to southeastern Canada (Root 1988).
Occurrences Comments
With a global population estimate of between 140,000 to 1 million (Birdlife International, 2014), there should be well over 100 element occurrences.
Threat Impact Comments
Major threats include human disturbance, forestry operations around breeding lakes, fluctuating water levels, and stocking of lakes with rainbow train. Acidification increased humus content of lakes are also threats. This species is commonly caught and drownedin fishing nets and vulnerable to oil spills (Birdlife International, 2014).
Ecology & Habitat

Description

See Kaufman (1992, Am. Birds 46:1187-1190) for detailed information on identification of birds in basic plumage.

Habitat

Marshes, ponds and lakes, occasionally along sluggish streams (breeding); bays, estuaries and seacoasts, and in migration commonly in inland freshwater habitats, especially lakes and rivers (nonbreeding) (AOU 1983). Nest on small and large lakes and ponds (about 0.1 ha or larger), in calm waters of marshes, along rivers and streams. Favors areas with much open water. Usually nests among tall vegetation in shallow water. Highest breeding densities occur in pothole marshes of aspen woodland.

Ecology

Primarily nongregarious, except at staging and resting areas prior to and during migration. Predation may result in high nest losses. Size of breeding territory reflects location and abundance of food supply.

Reproduction

Eggs are laid mid-May to mid-July in southern Canada. Average clutch size is 4-6. Incubation lasts usually 22-25 days, by both sexes. Young are tended by one or both parents, most fledge by 6-7 weeks. Renests if nest destroyed. Usually one pair (sometimes several) per pothole.
Palustrine Habitats
HERBACEOUS WETLAND
Other Nations (2)
CanadaN5B,N4N
ProvinceRankNative
Yukon TerritoryS4BYes
QuebecS1BYes
SaskatchewanS4BYes
ManitobaS3BYes
Island of NewfoundlandSNAYes
AlbertaS4BYes
New BrunswickS3NYes
Prince Edward IslandSNAYes
Northwest TerritoriesS3Yes
NunavutSUBYes
British ColumbiaS4B,SNRNYes
OntarioS1B,S3N,S4MYes
LabradorSUNYes
Nova ScotiaS3N,SUMYes
United StatesN5B,N5N
ProvinceRankNative
South CarolinaS4Yes
ArizonaS2NYes
WashingtonS3B,S5NYes
South DakotaS2BYes
MissouriSNRNYes
IllinoisSXB,S2NYes
FloridaS4NYes
TexasS3NYes
OhioSNAYes
IowaS3NYes
MississippiS5NYes
CaliforniaSNRNYes
West VirginiaS3NYes
LouisianaS4NYes
District of ColumbiaSNAYes
AlaskaS4B,S4NYes
North DakotaSNRBYes
OklahomaS2NYes
IndianaSNAYes
MichiganSNRNYes
ColoradoSNAYes
IdahoS2NYes
NevadaS2MYes
WisconsinS4NYes
WyomingSNAYes
PennsylvaniaS3N,S4MYes
North CarolinaS4NYes
UtahS3NYes
KentuckySNAYes
New MexicoS4NYes
KansasSNAYes
ConnecticutSNAYes
MarylandS4NYes
VirginiaSNRNYes
MinnesotaS1BYes
MontanaS3BYes
New JerseyS4NYes
New YorkSNRNYes
MassachusettsS5NYes
ArkansasS4NYes
VermontSNAYes
Navajo NationS2NYes
Rhode IslandSNAYes
TennesseeS4NYes
MaineS4NYes
AlabamaS4NYes
DelawareS4NYes
OregonS2B,S5NYes
New HampshireSNAYes
GeorgiaS5Yes
Roadless Areas (51)
Alaska (22)
AreaForestAcres
Bering LakeChugach National Forest965,076
College FiordChugach National Forest1,130,818
Copper River WetlandsChugach National Forest85,972
Douglas IslandTongass National Forest28,065
Fidalgo-GravinaChugach National Forest257,968
Juneau UrbanTongass National Forest101,581
Juneau-Skagway IcefieldTongass National Forest1,187,268
Kenai LakeChugach National Forest213,172
Kenai MountainsChugach National Forest306,600
MadanTongass National Forest68,553
Mansfield PeninsulaTongass National Forest54,991
Nellie JuanChugach National Forest713,697
North BaranofTongass National Forest314,089
North WrangellTongass National Forest8,091
QuartzTongass National Forest143,003
RedoubtTongass National Forest68,347
Roaded DonutChugach National Forest968
Sheridan GlacierChugach National Forest224,683
Sitka UrbanTongass National Forest112,003
Twenty MileChugach National Forest198,775
Upper SitukTongass National Forest16,789
Yakutat ForelandsTongass National Forest323,648
Arizona (1)
AreaForestAcres
Black CrossTonto National Forest5,966
Arkansas (1)
AreaForestAcres
Little BlakelyOuachita National Forest3,342
California (3)
AreaForestAcres
CajonSan Bernardino National Forest7,548
Glass MountainInyo National Forest52,867
WoolstaffSequoia National Forest41,445
Idaho (2)
AreaForestAcres
Borah PeakSalmon-Challis National Forest130,463
NeedlesPayette National Forest131,279
Minnesota (1)
AreaForestAcres
Kawishiwi Lake To SawbillSuperior National Forest15,305
Montana (2)
AreaForestAcres
Bear - Marshall - Scapegoat - SwanLolo National Forest118,485
Cabinet Face East #671Kootenai National Forest50,326
Oregon (7)
AreaForestAcres
BearwallowsDeschutes National Forest7,317
LakeMt. Hood National Forest1,327
Mt. JeffersonDeschutes National Forest2,282
Mt. BaileyUmpqua National Forest18,401
TenmileSiuslaw National Forest10,818
Umpqua SpitSiuslaw National Forest2,090
WoahinkSiuslaw National Forest5,309
Tennessee (1)
AreaForestAcres
Flint Mill GapCherokee National Forest9,494
Utah (2)
AreaForestAcres
CottonwoodDixie National Forest6,754
WellsvilleWasatch-Cache National Forest1,717
Virginia (1)
AreaForestAcres
Adams PeakGeorge Washington National Forest7,135
Washington (8)
AreaForestAcres
ChelanWenatchee National Forest74,650
EntiatWenatchee National Forest72,617
Jefferson RidgeOlympic National Forest6,512
Jupiter RidgeOlympic National Forest10,148
LightningOlympic National Forest7,179
Madison CreekOlympic National Forest1,223
Rock CreekWenatchee National Forest32,239
Slide RidgeWenatchee National Forest11,430
References (21)
  1. American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1983. Check-list of North American Birds, 6th edition. Allen Press, Inc., Lawrence, Kansas. 877 pp.
  2. 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/.
  3. BirdLife International. 2004b. Threatened birds of the world 2004. CD ROM. BirdLife International, Cambridge, UK.
  4. BirdLife International. (2013-2014). IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on various dates in 2013 and 2014. http://www.birdlife.org/
  5. Campbell, R. W., N. K. Dawe, I. McTaggart-Cowan, J. M. Cooper, G. W. Kaiser, and M. C. E. McNall. 1990a. The Birds of British Columbia. Volume 1. Nonpasserines: Introduction and loons through waterfowl. University of British Columbia Press, Vancouver, BC, Canada. 514 pp.
  6. Cogswell, H. L. 1977. Water birds of California. Univ. California Press, Berkeley. 399 pp.
  7. Ehrlich, P. R., D. S. Dobkin, and D. Wheye. 1992. Birds in Jeopardy: the Imperiled and Extinct Birds of the United States and Canada, Including Hawaii and Puerto Rico. Stanford University Press, Stanford, California. 259 pp.
  8. Ferguson, R. S., and S. G. Sealy. 1983. Breeding ecology of the horned grebe, <i>Podiceps auritus</i>, in southwestern Manitoba. Can. Field-Nat. 97:401-408.
  9. Godfrey, W.E. 1966. The birds of Canada. National Museums of Canada. Ottawa. 428 pp.
  10. Harrison, C. 1978. A Field Guide to the Nests, Eggs and Nestlings of North American Birds. Collins, Cleveland, Ohio.
  11. Johnsgard, P. A. 1987. Diving birds of North America. Univ. Nebraska Press, Lincoln. xii + 292 pp.
  12. Oberholser, H.C. 1974. The bird life of Texas. 2 vols. Univ. of Texas Press, Austin.
  13. 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.
  14. Peterson, R.T. 1980b. A field guide to the birds of eastern and central North America. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston.
  15. Peterson, R.T. 1990b. A field guide to western birds. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston.
  16. 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.
  17. Root, T. 1988. Atlas of wintering North American birds: An analysis of Christmas Bird Count data. University of Chicago Press. 336 pp.
  18. Sibley, D. A. 2000a. The Sibley guide to birds. Alfred A. Knopf, New York.
  19. Stedman, S. J. 2000. Horned Grebe (PODICEPS AURITUS). No. 505 IN A. Poole and F. Gill, editors, The birds of North America. The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA. 28pp.
  20. Terres, J. K. 1980. The Audubon Society encyclopedia of North American birds. Alfred A. Knopf, New York.
  21. Wetlands International. 2014. Waterbird Population Estimates. Retrieved from <a href="http://wpe.wetlands.org/">wpe.wetlands.org</a> on various dates in 2014.