pied billed grebe

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Pied billed grebe Podilymbus podiceps

The pied billed grebe belongs to the Podicipedidae family, 


They are small birds, with brown and white on the neck and back, white beak with a black strip across. 

They are great swimmers and divers.

They eat amphibians, crustaceans, fish and insects. They hunt by crushing the prey with its bill. They are opportunistic. They dive under the water to find their food

They are found in brackish,fresh water, wetlands, marshes and sloughs. There nests are built on the water and weighed down by the vegetation. When they are feeling threatened that dive in to the water, causing a big splash. 

During breeding the males chase the females, they stick out their chests and do turns on one leg and are vocal. The breed from spring to autumn. The nests are placed by marshland and are constructed by female and male. The female lays around five eggs, and incubated for twenty three days by the female and male. Both parents feed the young. The young are able to swim very soon after hatching. 

Allaboutbirds.org, (2015). Pied-billed Grebe. [online] Available at: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Pied-billed_Grebe/lifehistory [Accessed 15 Apr. 2015].

Audubon, (2014). Pied-billed Grebe. [online] Available at: http://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/pied-billed-grebe [Accessed 15 Apr. 2015].