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The 'Pied-billed Grebe' ('''Podilymbus podiceps''')^[1]
is a species of the grebe family of water birds. Since the Atitlán Grebe, ''Podilymbus gigas'', has become extinct, it is the sole extant member of the genus ''Podilymbus''.
The Pied-billed Grebe breeds across Canada, parts of the United States, and temperate South America. Although this species does not appear to be a strong flier, it has occurred in Europe as a rare vagrant on a number of occasions, and one bird in England bred with a Little Grebe, producing hybrid young.
The most widespread of North American grebes, it is found on remote ponds, marshes, and sluggish streams. It is usually the first grebe to arrive on northern inland waters in springtime, and the last to leave in autumn. It is rare on salt water. This grebe rarely flies, preferring to escape danger by diving.
It feeds on fish (carp, catfish, eels), insects (dragonflies, ants, beetles), and amphibians (frogs, tadpoles).
The Pied-billed Grebe is small at 31-38 cm (12"-15") in length, stocky, and short-necked. It is usually brown or gray in color. It has a short, blunt chicken-like bill, which in summer is encircled by a broad black band (hence the name). It is the only grebe that does not show a white wing patch in flight.
This grebe is usually silent, except in breeding season when the male voices a loud, laughing ''cuck, cuck, cuck'' or ''cow, cow, cow''.
Folk names of this grebe include dabchick, devil-diver, dive-dapper, hell-diver, and water witch.
There are several prehistoric taxa of ''Podilymbus'' described from fossil remains:

★ ''Podilymbus majusculus'' (Late Pliocene of WC USA)

★ ''Podilymbus wetmorei'' (Late Pleistocene of Florida, USA)

★ ''Podilymbus podiceps magnus'' - a paleosubspecies of the Pied-billed Grebe of uncertain validity.

Contents

References

External links

Footnotes

References

★ Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern

External links

★ Pied-billed Grebe Information - Cornell Lab of Ornithology

★ Pied-billed Grebe - USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter

★ Pied-billed Grebe Information and Photos - South Dakota Birds and Birding

★ Pied-billed Grebe - eNature.com

Footnotes

1.
'Etymology': ''Podilymbus'' is a contraction of Latin ''podicipes'' ("feet at the buttocks", from ''podici-'', "rump-" + ''pes'', "foot") - the origin of the name of the grebe order - and Ancient Greek ''kolymbos'', "diver". ''podiceps'', "rump-headed", from ''podici-'' + New Latin ''ceps'', "head".


Image:Piedbillgrebe.JPG|A watercolor drawing of a Pied-billed Grebe, aptly showing the reasons for its scientific name.
Image:Pied-billed_Grebe_2.jpg|Pied billed Grebe with chicks
Image:Pied-billed_Grebe_chick.jpg|Pied billed Grebe feeding a chick