Birda Logo
Features
Birda+
About
Species Guide
Challenges
Shop
loading...
A photo of a Clark's Grebe (Aechmophorus clarkii)
Clark's Grebe

Clark's Grebe

Aechmophorus clarkii

The Clark's Grebe, Aechmophorus clarkii, is a striking North American waterbird, part of the grebe family. It is characterized by its elegant, long neck and a sleek profile. Adults typically measure between 22 to 29 inches in length, with a wingspan of approximately 24 inches, and weigh between 25.3 and 44.4 ounces. The species exhibits sexual dimorphism with males sporting a slight crest on their heads.

Identification Tips

To distinguish the Clark's Grebe from its close relative, the Western Grebe, look for its paler back plumage and the white facial coloring that extends above the eye, rather than just below. The Clark's Grebe's bill is a vibrant yellow in the United States, contrasting with the greenish-yellow bill of the Western Grebe. Additionally, the bill of the Clark's Grebe is slightly upturned, whereas the Western Grebe's bill is straight.

Habitat

Clark's Grebes favor large inland lakes in western North America for breeding and migrate to the Pacific coast for wintering. They are also found year-round in select locales such as California, Nevada, Arizona, and central Mexico.

Distribution

This species has a broad range, nesting across western North America and migrating to coastal regions during the winter. It maintains permanent populations in certain areas of California, Nevada, Arizona, and central Mexico.

Behaviour

Clark's Grebes are known for their elaborate courtship displays, which mirror those of the Western Grebe. They are also adept divers, plunging into the water to forage for their varied diet.

Song & Calls

The vocalizations of the Clark's Grebe are similar to the Western Grebe, but during courtship, they emit a distinctive, extended "kreeeed" call to attract mates, differing from the two-note call of their Western counterparts.

Breeding

Clark's Grebes are known for their courtship rituals, which include the "rushing ceremony" and the "weed ceremony," involving intricate dances and presentations to attract a mate. While they tend to form monogamous pairs for the season, males may have multiple partners over their lifetimes.

Similar Species

The Western Grebe is the species most similar to the Clark's Grebe, with the key differences being the coloration of the plumage, the extent of white on the face, and the color and shape of the bill.

Diet and Feeding

Once thought to be fish specialists, Clark's Grebes are actually opportunistic feeders. They consume a variety of prey including insects, polychaete worms, crustaceans, salamanders, and small fish, which they catch by diving.

Conservation status

The IUCN Red List categorizes the Clark's Grebe as Least Concern, indicating that the species does not currently face a significant risk of extinction.

App logo
Birda is a birdwatching app and community aimed at curious people who want to deepen their connection with nature.

Clark's Grebes on Birda

Photos
Sightings

More Grebes

A photo of a Western Grebe (Aechmophorus occidentalis)

Western Grebe

Aechmophorus occidentalis
Birda Logo

Your birdwatching journey like never before

Connect with nature in minutes
Take a walk, look out of the window and log the birds that you see. Feel good about those little connections to nature.
Discover the joy of birding
Find new birding spots, see more birds, share and celebrate with a like-minded community of nature lovers.
Play your part in saving nature
Logging your birding sightings and sessions turns into positive action for our planet. Every sighting counts.

Birda Blog

What Our Birders Say
Mike T
Sense of Community
A great app, which is continually being improved. What really comes through is the passion of those behind the app. The sense of community is brilliant, so much help and support provided to new and/or in experienced birders.
Marlster24
Very Wholesome App
Joined this app with a new interest in watching birds to help me find out what I was spotting. The community is very active in helping identify birds which is great and everyone is very kind so it’s just a nice wholesome community. I would definitely recommend this for any bird spotter 😄
Dan R
Great app for bird fanatics
Great app for bird fanatics - very user friendly and a perfect place to share sightings.
Emma L
App got me interested in birding!
Super friendly community <3 This app got me interested in birding! It teaches me cool stuff and its super friendly, and fun :) The species guide is really developing my knowledge, and i love seeing cool new birds from round the world!
Leonie
We've been waiting for an App like this
Excellent! We've been waiting for an app like this! Thank you! It would be nice if you could assign additional birds to sessions later!
Trevarthen1
Birda fan
I really enjoy using Birda, all sightings are recorded and photos can be added. There are monthly challenges which help to get you out to record your sightings. The Birda community are great and are happy to help with unidentified bird sightings. Suitable for all ages and experience!
Amylia S
Best app for any birding person!
I love this app!! I am so addicted to it when I saw it had 3 star review I was so sad! The app is awesome!! The best app for any birding person! ❤️
Safira V
Birding and wellbeing app
Birda is an excellent platform to share your love of Birding and is a great tool of encouragement for a Birding Beginner like me. Birda has a very kind and supportive community of Birding enthusiasts. For me BIRDA is not only a BIRDING but also a WELLBEING App.
Nick S
Work together with community
Been loving using this app to log my bird sightings and work together with community members to identify different birds. I've already learned a lot since I started about a month ago!
Emcil24
A Friendly Place
I love using the bird app, I have a pretty good knowledge of birds. But I do have some gaps in it, so it’s nice to have a safe space to check on a sighting to confirm the species. It’s really enjoyable and I love the badges you can collect. It’s like a real life Pokémon go.
As featured in
Birda Logo
AboutPressAmbassadorsAffiliatesInfluencersCareersPrivacyTerms & Conditions
An app for birdwatchers
Connect with us
Copyright © 2024 Chirp Birding. All rights reserved.