Scientific Name: Aechmophorus occidentalis
Population Estimate: 130K, Least Concern status
Range: Summers throughout most of western US and Canada. Year-round in portions of Mexico. Winters along the entire Pacific coast of North America. Favours brackish waters. Overall a similar but expanded range compared to Clark's Grebe.
Field Notes: Large, diving water bird with striking black and white coloring on the face and the long, elegant neck. Bill is straight, long and yellow. Clark's Grebe is similar but the dark cap does not cover the eye.
Personal Notes: We first discovered these birds via kayak on Union Bay in downtown Seattle. It was a thrill to later see a pair doing some mating mimicry in Utah.
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