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| Eared Grebe in winter plumage, lacking the characteristic and showy golden ‘ear’ feathers. |
Winter is one of the best times to observe waterfowl in central Texas. Several species spend the colder months on our quiet lakes, reservoirs, and ponds, searching for food in the open, unfrozen waters. One interesting family that can be seen this time of year are the grebes, aquatic diving birds known for their strong swimming, but not often seen on land or in flight.
Grebes are not ducks, although both are considered to be waterfowl. They lack webbed feet like ducks, and instead have lobed toes. Their legs attach further back on their bodies than ducks, making it supremely awkward for them to walk on land. Combined with their lobed toes, however, these attributes make them powerful swimmers and divers for their size. In our area, there are three species of grebe that can be observed, the Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps), the Least Grebe (Tachybaptus dominicus), and the Eared Grebe (Podiceps nigricollis).
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| Pied-billed Grebe |
The Pied-billed Grebe is a small but chunky waterbird 13.5 inches long that is brownish overall with a blocky head, short thick bill, and almost no tail. During breeding season, its pale bill has a vertical black stripe, which gives it its name as ‘pied’ means having two or more different colors. These grebes can trap water in their feathers, giving them control over their buoyancy, sinking deeply or exposing as much or as little of their body as they wish. The Pied-billed Grebe is present year-round, but are more abundant from mid-September to mid-May. They are not gregarious, so they are often solitary or found in very small groups.
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| Least Grebe |
Least Grebes arrive in central Texas in mid-September, but become scarce by early February. As the smallest grebe in North America at 9.75 inches long, they have golden yellow eyes, a slim dark bill, are purplish gray in summer, and overall gray brown with a whitish throat and paler bill in winter. Rather uncommon or local, they can sometimes hide by submerging their entire body under water with only their bill visible. The Least Grebe is light and has large wings relative to its size, so it can take flight from the water more easily than most other grebe species.
Unlike the previous two grebes, the Eared Grebe is the most abundant grebe species in the world, but it is largely a winter resident in Texas, typically appearing by October and disappearing by May. It is also a small waterbird at 12.5 inches in length with a bright red eye, very thin bill, and overall dusky brown with white. In their summer range further north and west, they are black with chestnut sides, and sport golden ‘ears’ or wispy feathers that fan out noticeably from their cheeks behind their eyes. Eared Grebes migrate only at night, and their southward migration in the fall is the latest of any bird species in North America.
The collective noun for a group of grebes is a ‘water dance’, which refers to the fact that they have some of the most elaborate courtship displays of all birds. Often described as ballet-like, these displays can include bowing, feather fluffing, and rising up nearly out of the water, extending their necks and appearing to run across the water’s surface. Displays vary and can occur between mated pairs or two competing males, suggesting that they have multiple functions.
Get out this winter and scan the open waters for these beautiful little birds. While they are not particularly common, nor do we normally see them in the height of their breeding plumage, they are still standouts among the typical rafts of ducks that overwinter in our area.
