4 Birds of Colorado 
Genus ZECHMOPHORUS, 
Bill long, slender and pointed, clearly exceeding the head ; culmen 
straight ; neck long; tarsus, culmen and middle toe with claw all 
approximately equal, no very conspicuous crest or ruff. 
One species only in western United States. 
Western Grebe. Achmophorus occidentalis. 
A.O.U. Checklist no 1—Colorado Records—Morrison, 89, p. 146; 
Kellogg 90, p. 90; H. G. Smith 96, p. 48 ; Cooke 97, pp. 49, 155, 191; 
Felger 09, p. 86. 
Description. Adult—Top of the head, which is slightly crested, 
and # line down the back of the neck black, becoming dusky brown 
on the back, with concealed white bases to the primaries and some 
white on the secondaries ; below from the bill, pure white, with a satiny 
gloss; iris orange-red to pink with a white ring, bill olivaceous, feet 
dusky, yellowish about the toes and inside of tarsus. Length 26; 
wing 8-25; tail 2:0; tarsus 2-9; bill 2-8. 
The female is smaller—wing 7-5. In winter the head and neck are 
dusky brown like the back. 
Distribution,—Breeding from Manitoba and Saskatchewan south to 
central Mexico, wintering in the southern part of the range. 
In Colorado the Western Grebe is of rare occurrence during the fall 
migration. It was first reported by Breninger from near Fort Collins 
(Morrison) and subsequently from Estes Park by Pierce (Kellogg), 
but the first undoubted record is that of H. G. Smith who saw three 
examples in a Denver taxidermist’s shop, which had been shot in 
October, 1888, on lakes in the immediate neighbourhood. Two were 
subsequently obtained on Sheldon’s Lake near Fort Collins on October 
29th, 1898, and one of these individuals is now mounted in the Museum 
at that place. Felger recently reports another example taken November 
9th, 1902, at Citizen’s Lake, a few miles south-west of Denver; the 
skin is preserved in his collection. 
Habits.—The Western Grebe haunts rush-covered lakes 
where it rides the water lightly and easily. It is an 
expert diver, either sinking quietly out of sight or rising 
up and taking a header. Though difficult to flush from 
the water, it flies well and strongly. The nest is a raft- 
like structure of tall stems, grass and water-plants, 
