 There are 22 species of diving birds in this family. Grebes are found fresh water lakes, ponds, and rivers around the world, except for in the polar regions. Some species winter along ocean coasts.
Grebes have stocky bodies; thick, waterproof feathers; long, slightly webbed, lobed toes; long necks; small heads; and small tails. Some species have long, pointed bills; other species have medium length, conical bills. Their legs are set back on their bodies and grebes are clumsy on land. When they walk on land they stand upright like penguins! Males and females look alike, but males are a little larger.
Grebes are very good divers and swimmers! They often swim with just their heads above the water. Grebes have to run across the water to take off in flight. Grebes dive from the surface of the water for fish, crustaceans, and mollusks. Grebes also eat insects and their own feathers! Grebes nest on floating aquatic vegetation. Both the male and the female care for the chicks and often carry them on their backs.
World Status Key
 Least Concern  Near Threatened  Vulnerable  Endangered  Critically Endangered  Extinct in Wild  Extinct
Status and range is taken from ICUN Redlist. If no status is listed, there is not enough data to establish status.
US Status Key
 Threatened in US  Threatened in NH  Endangered in US  Endangered in NH  Introduced  Breeds in NH
US Fish and Wildlifeand NH Fish and Game
Additional Information
Key:  Profile  Photos  Video  Audio
Alaotra Grebe -Tachybaptus rufolavatus 
The Alaotra grebe was found in Madagascar on Lake Alaotra.
Source: Arkive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Alaotra Grebe -Tachybaptus rufolavatus
The last confirmed sighting of the Alaotra grebe was in 1982.
Source:BirdLife International Intended Audience: General Reading Level: High School
Atitlan Grebe - Podilymbus gigas 
The Atitlan grebe was found on Lake Atitlán in Guatemala. It has been extinct since 1986.
Source:BirdLife International Intended Audience: General Reading Level: High School
Australasian Grebe - Tachybaptus novaehollandiae  
The Australasian grebe is found in Australia, Indonesia, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, and Vanuatu.
Source: Internet Bird Collection Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Clark's Grebe - Aechmophorus clarkii
Clark's grebe is found in Canada, Mexico, and the western United States.
Source: Internet Bird Collection Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Clark's Grebe - Aechmophorus clarkii
Clark's grebe has a black cap, neck, and back; a white face, throat, and breast, and belly; and a long, pointed bill,
Source: Cornell Lab of Ornithology Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Clark's Grebe - Aechmophorus clarkii
Clark's grebe breeds on inland lakes and winters on the Pacific Coast.
Source: Arkive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Colombian Grebe - Podiceps andinus 
The Colombian grebe was last recorded in 1977. It is now considered extinct. It was found in the Andes in Colombia.
Source:BirdLife International Intended Audience: General Reading Level: High School
Colombian Grebe - Podiceps andinus
Drainage of wetlands was one of the factors leading to the extinction of the Colombian grebe.
Source: Cornell Lab of Ornithology Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Eared Grebe - Podiceps nigricollis 
The eared grebe is also known as the black-necked grebe. It is the most widely distributed grebe in the world.
Source: Internet Bird Collection Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Eared Grebe - Podiceps nigricollis
The eared grebe is found in the western half of the United States.
Source: Cornell Lab of Ornithology Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Eared Grebe - Podiceps nigricollis
The Eared Grebe is currently the most abundant species of grebe in North America.
Source: Seattle Audubon BirdWeb Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Great Crested Grebe - Podiceps cristatus
The great crested grebe is found across Europe and Asia. It is also found in parts op Africa and Australia.
Source: Arkive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Great Crested Grebe - Podiceps cristatus
The great crested grebe is clumsy on land because its feet are place so far back on its body.
Source: Royal Society for the Protection of Birds Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Great Crested Grebe - Podiceps cristatus
Great crested grebe chicks have black and white zebra-striped heads.
Source: Internet Bird Collection Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Great Grebe - Podiceps major
The great grebe
is found in Argentina; Brazil; Chile; Falkland Islands; Paraguay; Peru; South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands; and Uruguay.
Source: Cornell Lab of Ornithology Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Hooded Grebe - Podiceps gallardoi
The hooded grebe is found in Argentina and Chile.
Source: Arkive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Hooded Grebe - Podiceps gallardoi
The hooded grebe is found on isolated lakes in the most remote parts of Patagonia
Source: Internet Bird Collection Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Horned Grebe - Podiceps auritus 
The horned grebe breeds from Alaska and northern Canada south through the Canadian prairie provinces to Washington, Montana, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. Populations winter along the Pacific coast from Alaska to Mexico and along the Atlantic coast from Nova Scotia to the gulf coast. They are also found in Eurasia.
Source: Animal Diversity Web Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Horned Grebe - Podiceps auritus
In the summer, the horned grebe has brownish-yellow horn-like tufts behind its eyes.
Source: Internet Bird Collection Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Horned Grebe - Podiceps auritus
The horned grebe eats its own feathers. The feathers form a wad in their stomachs that probably help them digest fish bones. Adult horned grebes even feed feathers to their chicks.
Source: Cornell Lab of Ornithology Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Horned Grebe - Podiceps auritus
Horned Grebes are very territorial on their nesting grounds.
Source: Seattle Audubon BirdWeb Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Hoary-headed Grebe - Poliocephalus poliocephalus
The hoary-headed grebe is found in Australia and New Zealand.
Source: Internet Bird Collection Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School Junin Grebe - Podiceps taczanowskii
The Junin grebe is only found on Lake Junín in the highlands of west-central Peru.
Source: Internet Bird Collection Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Junin Grebe - Podiceps taczanowskii
The Junin grebe is flightless.
Source: Arkive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Least Grebe - Tachybaptus dominicus
The least grebe is found from Texas to Argentina. It is also found in the Caribbean.
Source: Internet Bird Collection Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Least Grebe - Tachybaptus dominicus
The least grebe is the smallest grebe species in the Americas.
Source: Cornell Lab of Ornithology Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Little Grebe - Tachybaptus ruficollis
The little grebe is found across southern Europe and Asia as well as in central and southern Africa.
Source: Internet Bird Collection Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Little Grebe - Tachybaptus ruficollis
The little grebe is is also known as the dabchick. It is the smallest species of grebe.
Source: Arkive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Madagascar Grebe - Tachybaptus pelzelnii
The Madagascar grebe is found in Madagascar.
Source: Internet Bird Collection Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Madagascar Grebe - Tachybaptus pelzelnii
The Madagascar grebe feeds on aquatic insects and crustaceans.
Source: Arkive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School New Zealand Grebe - Poliocephalus rufopectus
The New Zealand grebe is found in New Zealand.
Source: Internet Bird Collection Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
New Zealand Grebe - Poliocephalus rufopectus
The New Zealand grebe is dark brown with pale yellow eyes and a black bill.
Source: Arkive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School Pied-billed Grebe - Podilymbus podiceps
The pied-billed grebe breeds on the Alaskan coasts, and throughout Canada and the United States. They also breed in some areas of the Caribbean and in South America.
Source: Animal Diversity Web Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Pied-billed Grebe - Podilymbus podiceps
The pied-billed grebe has a black ring around its bill in the summer.
Source: Cornell Lab of Ornithology Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Pied-billed Grebe - Podilymbus podiceps
Pied-billed Grebes are less social than most species of grebes and are rarely found in flocks.
Source: Seattle Audubon BirdWeb Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Pied-billed Grebe - Podilymbus podiceps
The pied-billed grebe is an excellent swimmer and diver. It often dives to evade predators.
Source: Internet Bird Collection Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School Red-necked Grebe - Podiceps grisegena
The red-necked grebe is found in portions of North America, Asia, and Europe.
Source: Animal Diversity Web Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Red-necked Grebe - Podiceps grisegena
The red-necked grebe has a rusty-red neck during breeding season.
Source: Internet Bird Collection Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Red-necked Grebe - Podiceps grisegena
In North America, the Red-necked Grebe breeds on small inland lakes in Canada and Alaska. It winters along both coasts of North America.
Source: Cornell Lab of Ornithology Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Red-necked Grebe - Podiceps grisegena
When migrating, Red-necked Grebes fly over land at night and over coastlines by day.
Source: Seattle Audubon BirdWeb Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Silvery Grebe - Podiceps occipitalis
The silvery grebe is found in Argentina; Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, the Falkland Islands, and Peru.
Source: Internet Bird Collection Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Titicaca Grebe - Rollandia microptera
The Titicaca grebe is found in Bolivia and Peru.
Source: Internet Bird Collection Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Titicaca Grebe - Rollandia microptera
The Titicaca grebe is flightless.
Source: Cornell Lab of Ornithology Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Western Grebe - Aechmophorus occidentalis
The western grebe is found in western North America from British Columbia , Canada east to Manitoba, Canada and south California and Texas. It is also found in Mexico.
Source: Animal Diversity Web Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Western Grebe - Aechmophorus occidentalis
The western grebe has a black cap and neck; a gray back; a white neck, breast, and belly; and a long, thin yellowish-green bill.
Source: Cornell Lab of Ornithology Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Western Grebe - Aechmophorus occidentalis
In the winter, western grebes are found on saltwater bays. During breeding season they are found in freshwater habitats.
Source: Internet Bird Collection Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Western Grebe - Aechmophorus occidentalis
Western grebes winter in large flocks and nest in colonies.
Source: Seattle Audubon BirdWeb Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
White-tufted Grebe - Rollandia rolland
The white-tufted grebe is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, the Falkland Islands, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay.
Source: Internet Bird Collection Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
White-tufted Grebe - Rollandia rolland
The white-tufted grebe is the only grebe with a tuft of white feathers on its head.
Source: Cornell Lab of Ornithology Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
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There are 22 species of diving birds in this family. Grebes are found fresh water lakes, ponds, and rivers around the world, except for in the polar regions. Some species winter along ocean coasts.
