38 
Figure 74 
Horned Grebe; scale, J. 
Winter Summer 
3. Horned Grebe. Colymbus auritus. L, 13 -50. The Horned Grebe is about the 
flame size as the Pied-billed and Eared Grebes mentioned next. The Homed and Eared 
Grebes have a general similarity of appearance, 
and both have sharp, slender bills instead of 
high, stumpy ones like the Pied-bill. The 
Homed Grebe has a rich chestnut neck and 
flanks, and full black ? outstanding ruff from 
throat to hind head (Figure 74), where it joins 
with and supports light ochre ear tufts or 
“horns”. In autumn and winter it is a black 
(or giey) and white bird very similar to the 
juvenile of the Eared ( See Plate I A), but quite 
different from the browner, more rusty-necked 
Pied-bill. 
Distinctions. Its sharp, slender, bill will 
distinguish it in any plumage from the Pied- 
bill. From the Eared, which more closely 
resembles it in summer plumage, it is distin- 
guished by its red instead of black neck, 
its full ruff, and light ochre ear tufts instead 
of golden cheek plumes. In winter and juvenile 
plumages its black and white coloration separates 
it from the dingier Pied-bill, and the bill when 
fully developed is a safe distinction from the Eared (Figure 75, compare with 76). The bill 
is somewhat shorter, and is a little higher than wide, instead of wider than high at the base. 
Immature birds, however, may be difficult of separation. 
Field Marks. In adult: the large ruff, giving a “buffie-head” appearance, red neck, 
and light ochre ear tufts. In juvenility: the narrow pointed bill, and 
flhiny white foreneck and breast, distinguish it from the Pied-bill, but 
not from the Eared. 
Nesting. Similar to the preceding. 
Distribution. Across the continent, breeding throughout the 
Canadian prairies and British Columbia north to the Arctic coast. 
On migration the Horned Grebe prefers the larger 
bodies of water, but in the breeding season it may be 
found in almost any little slough or water-hole on the 
prairies or in British Columbia. The Eared and Pied- 
billed Grebes require considerable reed or tule marsh for 
nesting in, but the Horned Grebes in many cases nest in pools with bare 
shores and with little or no cover. 
4. Eared Grebe, black-necked grebe, Colymbus nigricollis. L, 13-20. Plate 
I A. This, the smallest of our Grebes, is very similar to the Homed in size, general coloration, 
and the possession of a slender, sharp bill instead of a short, stumpy one 
like the Pied-bill. Like the Homed it has red flanks, but the neck is 
black and instead of the full ruff and ochre ear tufts it has a spray of 
golden plumes on the cheek and a helmet-like crest on the crown. 
The juvenile and autumn plumage is quite different from the 
dingier and rustier Pied-bill, and similar to the young Homed, from 
which it is separated only with some difficulty by the bill character- 
istics. The bill of the Eared Grebe is longer and narrower and some- 
what depressed at the base so as to be wider than high (Figure 76), 
instead of the converse (Figure 75). 
Field Marks. General appearance of head and neck, the helmet- 
like crest coming to a point over the middle of the crown instead of 
over the hind-head as in the Homed Grebe, the absence of ruff and 
consequent lack of “buffle-head” appearance, and the presence of the 
spray of golden feathers on the cheeks instead of the ochre tufts over 
tne ears. Silhouetted against the bright water the bill seems to have a slight retroussS 
effect not noticeable in other Grebes. In autumn it may not always be separable in life 
from the Homed. 
Figure 75 
Bill details of 
Horned Grebe; 
scale. \. 
Figure 76 
Bill details of 
Eared Grebe; 
scale, J. 
