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Pied-billed Grebe

Podilymbus podiceps
Podecipedidae
Not often seen, and declining in Rhode Island
Tiny in size compared to Canada Goose
While in winter plumage, might be confused with ...
... Horned Grebe, another rare winter visitor to Salter Grove
Air is trapped in plumage for warmth, and for ...
... buoyancy control while diving after prey
Crayfish is a favorite food and ...
... lots of feathers are consumed
Feathers form a plug that ...
... protects soft lining of intestine by trapping ...
... sharp pointy fish bones and crustacean shells
Whew, got that one out. Now I need more feathers!
Plastic netting wrapped around beak = death sentence
Lobed rather than webbed feet that are set ...
... far back on body
Hard paddling for some distance before getting airborne
Placement of feet great for paddling but awkward on land
Plumage fluffed up for courtship
Both parents share in reproductive duties ...
... construction of floating nest for 2-10 eggs, to ...
... carrying and sheltering young until they can swim ...
... feeding young until they are independent, and ...
... teaching them to eat feathers
Two-month old juvenile still vividly patterned on head and neck
Independent juvenile has pattern but not bright colors of hatchling

According to available data from 2002 through January 2024, the Pied-billed Grebe has only visited Salter Grove three times.  Over a period of six days in late October 2019, a solitary bird was observed swimming, fishing or resting close to the areas of smooth cordgrass on both sides of the causeway.  The second and third sightings were recorded in late January of 2023 and 2024 respectively, also from the causeway.

The Pied-billed Grebe has a blocky body, a stout chicken-like beak, and is brownish all over.  It lacks the white face and chest of the more slender Horned Grebe, an equally rare migrant reported for the park. 

The Pied-billed Grebe dives for small fish and small crustaceans such as crayfish.  Its plumage  contributes directly to this foraging style in two important ways.  Air is trapped in between feathers to control buoyancy during maneuvers to hunt prey, and feathers are eaten, then regurgitated (see images above) in aid of digesting its prey.

The feather plug that forms in its stomach traps fish bones and the hard exoskeletons of crustaceans consumed.  It also allows more time for extracting nutrients from this hard and sharp material, while protecting the soft tissues of its digestive system from lacerations.  Not only the Pied-billed, but all grebes are known to eat feathers for this purpose.

Instead of having webbed feet like ducks and geese, the Pied-billed Grebe has lobed feet, another trait shared by all grebes.  The long scaly flaps along the toes increase the surface area of the foot and are effectively used in lift-based propulsion through water.  The lobed feet are also slapped against the water's surface to help grebes become airborne.  The feet are set far back on the body and provide great control for underwater movement.  However, this placement results in very clumsy movement on land.

The Pied-billed Grebe is common and breeds in freshwater wetland areas with emergent vegetation across much of interior North America, Central America, the Caribbean, and South America.  Its rarity at Salter Grove is not surprising because such habitat does not occur within the park.

However, it is surprising that the Pied-billed Grebe was uncommon in New England even in the 1880's, before housing became a regular feature around large ponds.  Based on field data collected during 2015-2019, the Second Atlas of Breeding Birds in Rhode Island lists only one breeding site, at Trustom Pond National Wildlife Refuge where boat traffic is absent

Pied-billed grebes breeding in northern areas migrate before water bodies freeze.  Open water is not only important to grebes as a source of food but is essential for generating propulsion to become airborne. Their winter range includes southern North America, South America and the Caribbean.  Populations stay near breeding grounds year round if nearby water bodies remain ice-free and crustaceans and fish are abundant.

For more information:

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Pied-billed_Grebe
https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/pied-billed-grebe
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pied-billed_grebe
https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Podilymbus_podiceps/
https://journals.biologists.com/jeb/article/204/10/1687/11748/Lift-Based-Paddling-in-Diving-Grebe

Clarkson, C. E., Osenkowski, J. E., Steen, V. A., Duhaime, R. J., and Paton, W.C. (2023) The Second Atlas of Breeding Birds in Rhode Island.  Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management Division of Fish and Wildlife.  pp. 86-87.