Eared grebe

Eared grebe
Andreas Trepte · CC BY-SA 2.5 · source
Name	Eared grebe
Genus	Podiceps
Species	nigricollis
Authority	(Vieillot, 1820)

Eared grebe

The Eared grebe is a small waterbird of the genus Podiceps, noted for dramatic seasonal plumage, spectacular migratory staging, and mass mortality events at saline lakes. It has been the subject of research by ornithologists and conservation organizations across North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australasia and figures in studies by institutions such as the National Audubon Society, BirdLife International, International Union for Conservation of Nature, Smithsonian Institution, and the Royal Society.

Taxonomy and nomenclature

The species was described by Louis Jean Pierre Vieillot and placed in the genus Podiceps alongside relatives studied by John James Audubon, Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, and Charles Lucien Bonaparte. Taxonomic treatment has involved comparisons with genera examined by Carl Linnaeus, Thomas Pennant, and John Gould, and molecular analyses referenced in publications from Harvard University, University of Oxford, Smithsonian Institution, California Academy of Sciences, and Natural History Museum, London. Nomenclatural debates have intersected with works by Alphonse Milne-Edwards, Elliott Coues, Ernst Haeckel, and modern authors affiliated with American Ornithological Society and International Ornithological Congress.

Description

Adults in breeding plumage display blackish head and neck contrasted with golden filoplumes, a morphology compared in field guides by Roger Tory Peterson, David Sibley, Kenn Kaufman, Stan Tekiela, and John Farrand Jr.. Nonbreeding and juvenile plumages are described in monographs from Cornell Lab of Ornithology, British Trust for Ornithology, Royal Ontario Museum, Australian Museum, and Canadian Wildlife Service. Morphometric data appear in faunal surveys by United States Geological Survey, Environment Canada, Birds Australia, Mexican Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity, and regional checklists from IUCN Red List assessments, European Bird Census Council, BirdLife International, and the RSPB.

Distribution and habitat

The species breeds in inland saline and alkaline lakes across western North America, Central Asia, and parts of Europe, with staging sites widely reported at Great Salt Lake, Mono Lake, Salton Sea, Lake Tuz, Lake Urmia, Aral Sea region, Lake Baikal, and coastal wetlands documented by Wetlands International, Ramsar Convention, US Fish and Wildlife Service, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and Nevada Department of Wildlife. Wintering sites include coastal lagoons and estuaries mapped by Pacific Flyway Council, Atlantic Flyway, East Asian–Australasian Flyway Partnership, Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and regional agencies such as Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Ministry of Environment (Japan), Ministry of Ecology and Environment (China), and Bureau of Land Management.

Behavior and ecology

Feeding ecology and foraging behavior have been quantified in studies published through Journal of Avian Biology, The Auk, Condor, Ibis, Proceedings of the Royal Society B, and reports by US Geological Survey. Diet shifts, diving behavior, and prey selection draw comparisons to research from University of California, Davis, Utah State University, Brigham Young University, University of British Columbia, and University of Alaska Fairbanks. Social aggregation and mass staging have been monitored by conservation groups including Audubon Society of California, Nevada Bird Records Committee, Sierra Club, The Nature Conservancy, and World Wildlife Fund. Predation and parasitism are documented in studies by National Park Service, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, and veterinary work at Zoo Atlanta, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, and university veterinary schools.

Reproduction and lifecycle

Nesting, clutch size, and chick development are detailed in fieldwork by researchers affiliated with Cornell Lab of Ornithology, University of Utah, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, California State University, University of Nevada, Reno, Oregon State University, University of Arizona, and museum collections at the Natural History Museum, Los Angeles County and Royal Ontario Museum. Studies of mating systems, cooperative behavior, and brood rearing appear in journals produced by American Ornithological Society, Society for Conservation Biology, Canadian Field-Naturalist, and conference proceedings from the International Ornithological Congress. Conservation management of breeding habitat has been implemented by Bureau of Land Management, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Montana Natural Heritage Program, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Nevada Department of Wildlife, and NGOs including The Nature Conservancy and Wetlands International.

Migration and population dynamics

Population censuses and migration timing are tracked via banding and telemetry programs run by USGS Bird Banding Laboratory, Bird Banding Laboratory (Canada), European Union for Bird Ringing, BirdLife International monitoring schemes, and satellite-tracking projects led by Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center, University of Montana, University of California, Berkeley, Utah State University, and University of Utah. Mass die-offs at saline lakes have prompted responses involving Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Nevada Department of Wildlife, Ramsar Convention Secretariat, IUCN, World Wildlife Fund USA, and research collaborations with University of Utah Health Sciences and veterinary pathology units. Conservation status evaluations cite assessments by IUCN Red List, BirdLife International, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Environment and Climate Change Canada, and regional red lists maintained by national agencies such as Naturvårdsverket and Agencia Estatal de Meteorología.

Category:Podiceps