About the Horned Grebe
The horned grebe or Slavonian grebe is a relatively small and threatened species of waterbird in the family Podicipedidae. There are two subspecies, P. a. auritus, which breeds in Eurasia, and P. a. cornutus, which breeds in North America. The Eurasian subspecies is distributed over most of northern Europe and northern Asia, breeding from Iceland east to the Russian Far East. The North American subspecies spans most of Canada and some of the United States. A small population was cited in Greenland in 1973, but is not mapped or further mentioned by subsequent authors.
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The species can be recognised by its orange-red and black breeding plumage, its black and white non-breeding plumage, and its characteristic "horns". It is 31–38 cm (12–15 in) long, has a wingspan 55–74 cm (22–29 in) wide and weighs 300–570 g (11–20 oz). It has a moderately long neck, flat forehead and a rear crown of black feathers. Its beak is straight and pointed, with a white tip. The breeding plumage has bright erectable "horns", black fan-shaped cheek feathers and an overall red-and-black colour. Voice: Young begin calling for begging purposes in a slightly trilled peeping noise, similar to that of a domestic chick. As they mature, their song changes to a more adult-like chittering. Their typical advertising call is loud and nasally "aaarrh" descending in a pitch and ending in a trill.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
What the Horned Grebe sounds like
Where the Horned Grebe lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in India, Luxembourg, Pakistan, Moldova, North Korea, Bosnia & Herzegovina.
When to see the Horned Grebe
Peak activity in April · a variable species across most of its range
Easily confused with
Great Crested GrebePodiceps cristatusThe great crested grebe is the largest species of grebe in the Old World, though some larger species occur in the Americas.
Black-necked GrebePodiceps nigricollisThe black-necked grebe usually measures between 28 and 34 centimetres (11 and 13 in) in length and has a wingspan range of 56–60 centimetres (22–24 in) in P. n. nigricollis, and 52–55 centimetres (20–22 in) in P. n. californicus.
Red-necked GrebePodiceps grisegenaThe red-necked grebe is a medium-large grebe, smaller than the great crested grebe of Eurasia, and the western and Clark's grebes of North America, but noticeably larger than other northern grebe species.
Side by side: Horned Grebe vs Pied-billed Grebe · Great Crested Grebe vs Horned Grebe · Black-necked Grebe vs Horned Grebe · Horned Grebe vs Red-necked Grebe
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