Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps)

Pied-billed Grebe
Podilymbus podiceps

The *Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps)* is a very common and widespread waterbird which is found across the United States and much of Canada. It ranges as far south as southern South America. This bird makes its living by diving under the water where it hunts aquatic insects, fish, frogs, and a wide variety of prey. Sometimes only the head of a bird may be visible while it carefully keeps watch, then it may slowly sink out of sight like a submarine. The two head shots shown here were taken at Port Aransas, Nueces Co., Texas, in February, 1999, with a Canon EOS 1N and EF 300mm F/2.8 L IS lens and 2X extender on Fuji Provia film. The bird in these two shots is in basic plumage.

The next two shots were taken in Chambers Co., Texas, in April, 1999, with the same camera gear described previously. This bird is in breeding plumage.

The next two shots shown here show a juvenile Pied-billed Grebe not long after hatching. These shots were taken at Medicine Lake N.W.R., Sheridan Co., Montana, in August, 1999,with the same equipment and film as the shots above.

On the right is another shot of an adult in breeding plumage taken at Anahuac N.W.R., in March, 2001, with a Canon EOS 3 and EF 500mm F/4 L IS lens on Fuji Provia.
The two shots shown here show a basic plumaged Pied-billed Grebe in Lee Co., Florida in November, 2006. These two shots were digital captures with a Canon EOS 1D Mark II and EF 500mm F/4 L IS lens and 2X extender.

The next 2 shots show a basic plumaged Pied-billed Grebe in Austin, Travis Co., Texas, in December, 2007. These images were taken with a Canon EOS 40D and EF 600mm F/4 L IS lens and 1.4X extender.

The basic (winter) plumaged Pied-billed Grebe shown here was at Port Bolivar, Galveston Co., Texas, in November, 2009.
The basic plumaged (winter) Pied-billed Grebes in the next three shots were on South Padre Island, Cameron Co., Texas, in December, 2010. These shots were taken with a Canon EOS 1D Mark IV and an EF 800mm F/5.6 L IS lens.
The grebe in the next two shots has caught a crab.

Pied-billed Grebe Podilymbus podiceps Anahuac N.W.R., Chambers Co., Texas 10 December 2013
Pied-billed Grebe Podilymbus podiceps Anahuac N.W.R., Chambers Co., Texas 10 December 2013
Pied-billed Grebe Podilymbus podiceps Anahuac N.W.R., Chambers Co., Texas 27 March 2015
Pied-billed Grebe Podilymbus podiceps Anahuac N.W.R., Chambers Co., Texas 21 September 2015
Pied-billed Grebe Podilymbus podiceps Anahuac N.W.R., Chambers Co., Texas 21 September 2015
Pied-billed Grebe Podilymbus podiceps Port Aransas, Nueces Co., Texas 9 November 2015
Pied-billed Grebe Podilymbus podiceps Port Aransas, Nueces Co., Texas 9 November 2015
Pied-billed Grebe Podilymbus podiceps with small catfish as prey Anahuac N.W.R., Chambers Co., Texas 14 January 2017
Pied-billed Grebe Podilymbus podiceps with small catfish as prey Anahuac N.W.R., Chambers Co., Texas 14 January 2017
Pied-billed Grebe Podilymbus podiceps Wakulla Springs State Park, Wakulla Co., Florida 20 February 2017
Pied-billed Grebe Podilymbus podiceps Anahuac N.W.R., Chambers Co., Texas 22 April 2018