# Pied-billed Grebe

*Podilymbus podiceps*

They possess the unique ability to trap air in their feathers to control their buoyancy, allowing them to sink slowly out of sight like a submarine.

- **Taxonomy:** Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Podicipediformes › Podicipedidae › Podilymbus
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** stable
- **Biome:** wetland
- **Habitat:** Freshwater marshes, sluggish rivers, and ponds with dense emergent vegetation.
- **Diet:** Aquatic insects, crayfish, small fish, and amphibians.
- **Range:** North America, Central America, South America, Caribbean
- **Size:** 30-38 cm in length; weight 250-570g.
- **Lifespan:** 10-12 years
- **Active:** diurnal
- **Threats:** Wetland degradation, water pollution, and accidental ingestion of lead fishing tackle.
- **Safe to approach?:** Harmless. These birds are shy and will dive to escape human presence. Maintain a distance of at least 20 meters to avoid disrupting their foraging or nesting. If an injured bird is found, contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator; do not attempt to provide food or water.

## About

The pied-billed grebe ( Podilymbus podiceps ) is a species of the grebe family of water birds. Since the Atitlán grebe ( Podilymbus gigas ) has become extinct, it is the sole extant member of the genus Podilymbus . The pied-billed grebe is primarily found in ponds throughout the Americas. Other names of this grebe include American dabchick, dabchick, Carolina grebe, devil-diver, dive-dapper, dipper, hell-diver, pied-billed dabchick, pied-bill, thick-billed grebe , and water witch .

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/2a6ec17a-d7f4-43e4-bbf3-164f04d07fff
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/4246
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podilymbus podiceps
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/70152459/medium.jpg (no rights reserved, CC0, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.