Nomdeploom (talk | contribs) m (Cleaned up formatting; content unchanged) |
|||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
;Aechmophorus clarkii | ;Aechmophorus clarkii | ||
| − | [[Image:Clarks_Grebe.jpg|thumb| | + | [[Image:Clarks_Grebe.jpg|thumb|550px|right|Photo by bcurrie <br> Photographed 2002]] |
==Description:== | ==Description:== | ||
Only likely to be confused with Western Grebe. Adult breeding: dark grey-brown above, flanks barred grey-brown and underparts white. Head and hindneck blackish contrasting sharply with white of face and foreneck. Black cap does not usually reach eye level in this species. Iris red, bill dark with orange-yellow sides and legs greyish. Adult breeding and juvenile: similar but duller and paler showing less contrast between dark and light plumage. Flight: shows more extensive white wing-bar than Western Grebe. Best distinguishing features are white above eye and bill colour. | Only likely to be confused with Western Grebe. Adult breeding: dark grey-brown above, flanks barred grey-brown and underparts white. Head and hindneck blackish contrasting sharply with white of face and foreneck. Black cap does not usually reach eye level in this species. Iris red, bill dark with orange-yellow sides and legs greyish. Adult breeding and juvenile: similar but duller and paler showing less contrast between dark and light plumage. Flight: shows more extensive white wing-bar than Western Grebe. Best distinguishing features are white above eye and bill colour. | ||
Revision as of 20:08, 7 July 2007
- Aechmophorus clarkii
Description:
Only likely to be confused with Western Grebe. Adult breeding: dark grey-brown above, flanks barred grey-brown and underparts white. Head and hindneck blackish contrasting sharply with white of face and foreneck. Black cap does not usually reach eye level in this species. Iris red, bill dark with orange-yellow sides and legs greyish. Adult breeding and juvenile: similar but duller and paler showing less contrast between dark and light plumage. Flight: shows more extensive white wing-bar than Western Grebe. Best distinguishing features are white above eye and bill colour.
Range:
Southern parts of Saskatchewan and Manitoba and in the western USA in from eastern Oregon to Montana and North Dakota and south to California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado and northern New Mexico. Also breeds in central Mexico. Only recently separated from Western Grebe (A. occidentalis) and the exact ranges of the two forms have yet to be elucidated. Clark's is much less common than Western in north and east of range. A summer visitor to most of range except California and Mexico where resident. Winter range lies from central California south into Mexico, in New Mexico and west Texas and on the Gulf Coast of Texas.
Habitat:
Breeds on large freshwater lakes and winters on large inland freshwaters or on esturies, bays and sheltered seas.
Voice:
A harsh single note "kreek".
Nesting:
Breeding begins mid-May in south of range to early June in north. Breeds in large colonies, nest is a heap of vegetation anchored to emergent plants or on the bottom in shallower water. Eggs: 3-4, whitish with green or buff tinge initially, soon becoming stained (59 x 38mm). Incubated by both sexes for 23 days. Young tended by both sexes and leave nest on hatching.
Diet:
Fish and aquatic invertebrates.
