Horned Grebe, Podiceps auritus


Horned Grebe
Horned Grebes winter on both coasts and through much of the US Southeast, and are familiar wintering birds in the SF Bay Area where I live. They breed mostly in Canada and Alaska, and develop their spectacular breeding plumage, shown here in photographs taken in Anchorage, shortly before they depart for their breeding grounds.


Horned Grebe


Horned Grebe


Horned Grebe


Horned Grebe
Above and below are photos showing the non-breeding plumage as we see it in winter in the Bay Area.


Horned Grebes

Horned Grebe


Horned Grebe with Eared Grebe
Horned Grebe in front of the similar Eared Grebe, both in non-breeding plumage. Note the sharp division between white and dark on the face of the Horned, and the differently shaped heads and bills of the two species.