A practical guide to bird watching in Sonoma County, California
(Unless otherwise indicated, all phone numbers are in the 707 area code)
The smallest of the grebes found in Sonoma County--and the most common. Present all year. Frequents freshwater ponds. Prefers fresh water, but may be found in brackish marshes and protected saltwater bays as well, particularly during the winter months. Commonly seen repeatedly diving and reappearing briefly before diving again. Easily separated from the other grebes by its stout bill. The bird in the photo above is in breeding plumage with a distinct dark ring on the bill, and with black at the base of the bill and under the chin. These features are absent in winter plumage, but the profile of Pied-billed Grebe is distinctive and, even in the winter, some trace of the bill ring is often visible (photo below). Juveniles will show striping on the head and neck and a pinkish bill (photos below).
In flight, Pied-billed Grebe is the only grebe that doesn't have white wing patches--but this bird doesn't fly often; when alarmed, Pied-billed Grebe tends to dive for cover or simply submerge. Sometimes a Pied-bill Grebe will move through the water or sit partially submerged, leaving only its eyes and the top of its head visible, like a submarine at periscope depth. Distinctive, eerie vocalizations often alert birders and others to the presence of Pied-billed Grebe before the birds are seen.
Further reading:
Bolander and Parmeter, Birds of Sonoma County California, rev. ed., 2000, p. 14
Brinkley, National Wildlife Federation Field Guide to Birds of North America, 2007, p. 71
Burridge, ed., Sonoma County Breeding Bird Atlas, 1995, p. 24
Dunn and Alderfer, eds., National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America, 5th ed., 2006, p. 74
Dunn and Alderfer, eds., National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America, 6th ed., 2011, p. 72
Dunne, Pete Dunne’s Essential Field Guide Companion, 2006, p. 92
Ehrlich, Dobkin, and Wheye, The Birder's Handbook, paperback edition, 1988, p. 12
Fix and Bezener, Birds of Northern California, 2000, p. 41
Floyd, Smithsonian Field Guide to the Birds of North America, 2008, p. 76
Kaufman, Field Guide to Birds of North America, 2000, p. 54
Kaufman, Field Guide to Advanced Birding, 2011, p. 93
Lukas, Bay Area Birds: From Sonoma County to Monterey Bay, 2012, pp. 40-41
Parmeter and Wight, Birds of Sonoma County California, Update (2000-2010), 2012, p. 12
Peterson, Birds of Eastern and Central North America, 5th ed., 2002, p. 28
Peterson, Field Guide to Birds of Western North America, 4th ed., 2010, p. 66
Peterson, Western Birds, 3rd ed., 1990, p. 26
Sibley, Field Guide to Birds of Western North America,1st ed., 2003, p. 31
Stokes, Stokes Field Guide to the Birds of North America, 1st ed., 2010, p. 82
Vuilleumier, American Museum of Natural History, Birds of North America: Western Region, 2011, p. 81
Voice: Cornell Lab of Ornithology: All About Birds--Pied-billed Grebe
© Colin Talcroft, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013
Unless noted, all photos by the author. If you would like to use one of my images, please ask for permission for non-commercial use with proper credit or commercial use with proper compensation.
Pied-billed Grebe in winter (or non-breeding) plumage, Spring Lake, Santa Rosa, December 26, 2011
Pied-billed Grebe, breeding plumage, A Place to Play, Santa Rosa, August 5, 2013
Pied-billed Grebe
Podilymbus podiceps
1990-2013 Sonoma County data. Graph provided by eBird (www.ebird.org), generated August 1, 2013
EBird reported occurrence in Sonoma County
Immature Pied-billed Grebe, Place to Play, Santa Rosa, August 5, 2013
Immature Pied-billed Grebe, Lake Ralphine, Santa Rosa, August 14, 2014