Common Name: Western Grebe
Scientific Name: Aechmophorus occidentalis
Description: The western grebe is the largest North American grebe.It is black-and-white, with a long, slender, swan-like neck and red eyes. It is easily confused with Clark’s grebe, which shares similar features, body size, behavior and habitat, and hybrids are known. In a Clark’s Grebe the eye is below the black cap in the white portion of the head.
Habitat: Western grebes nest in colonies on lakes that are mixed with marsh vegetation and open water. Western Grebe nests are made of plant debris and sodden materials, and the nest-building begins roughly around late April through June.
