Eared Grebe

The Eared Grebe is a small swimming and diving bird with a compact body, medium length neck, somewhat large head, and a very thin, pointed bill. Breeding birds have a blackish head with a large, bold, golden yellow patch fanning out behind each eye, a black neck and upperparts, and reddish flanks.  Length: 13 in.  Wingspan: 16 in.

Photograph © Alan Wilson.

Sexes similar.

Winter birds have a black cap, black or dusky cheeks, mostly dark or dusky foreneck and dark gray hindheck, and grayish upperparts with whitish flanks.

Juveniles resemble winter adults.

Eared Grebes breed on lakes and ponds with emergent vegetation, and winter lakes and salt bays in the southern and western U.S.  They are less coastal than the Horned Grebe.

Eared Grebes dive to capture aquatic prey, primarily insects and crustaceans.

Eared Grebes have legs set far back on their bodies, a position that is good for swimming but poor for walking on land.  To take flight they must have a running start, paddling furiously through the water while flapping their wings. They are usually seen swimming on the surface, and frequently diving in search of prey.

Eared Grebes breed across parts of western Canada and the western U.S. They winter primarily along the Pacific Coast and in inland waters of the southwestern and south central U.S. They are relatively rare in the eastern U.S. Horned Grebes may be stable, although their population is not well measured.

Wing Shape

The shape of a bird’s wing is often an indication of its habits and behavior. Fast flying birds have long, pointed wings. Soaring birds have long, broad wings. Different songbirds will have a slightly different wing shape. Some species look so much alike (Empidonax flycatchers) that scientists sometimes use the length of specific feathers to confirm a species’ identification.

• Female, adult, Utah, Nov.
• From below

Wing images from the University of Puget Sound, Slater Museum of Natural History

Eared vs Horned Grebe

The following image shows both Eared and Horned Grebe in winter plumage. Confusing, huh? The Horned Grebe is on the left, and the Eared Grebe is on the right.

The Eared Grebe in this photo has much less white on the face and neck than the bird pictured above.  The slight upward curve to the bottom of the bill is more obvious in this photograph. The bill is thinner than the Horned Grebe. In this photograph it is also easy to see the difference in head shape, the Eared Grebe has much more of a peaked head, compared to the flat top the Horned Grebe is sporting.

A Eared Grebe courtship display involves a pair racing vertically across the water with wings partly spread open.

Nearly the entire population of Eared Grebes makes a post-breeding migration to a hypersaline lake such as Great Salt Lake, Mono Lake, or the Salton Sea to feed on brine shrimp.

Young Eared Grebes often ride on their swimming parents’ backs.

The Eared Grebe’s song is a squeaky whistle, recalling that of the Sora.  Calls include a series of shrill cries.

The nest is a floating pile of plant material placed in shallow water.

Number: Usually lay 3-5 eggs.
Color: Whitish and often stained by nest material.

Incubation and fledging:
The young hatch at about 21 days, and leave the nest shortly after hatching, though they continue to associate with the adults for several weeks.