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Twenty species of Grebes make up the Family Podicipedidae in the Bird Order Podicipediformes. These small to medium sized diving birds are found in waters throughout the world with the exception of Antarctica. Grebes share many similar characteristics with Loons, though they occur in more diverse aquatic habitats including large lakes, flooded scrubland, roadside ditches and coastal bays.

Fossilized remains for the order Podicipediformes were discovered from the Cretaceous period of some 80 million years ago. The modern day grebe seems to have evolved more than 30 million years ago during the Oligocene epoch.

Physically, the grebe can be distinguished by short wings, legs that are set back with lobed toes, sharp and pointed bills, long necks and little tail. Grebes, like loons walk poorly on land due to the positioning of their legs which are set to the back to aid in swimming and diving for prey. Their lobed toes with highly flexible joints serve them well for propulsion and steering underwater. Sleek bodies and dense bones allow them to dive down to depths as deep as 90 feet. Grebes typically forage for food near the water's surface and dive for aquatic invertebrates such as insects and crayfish, small fish, aquatic vegetation and amphibians. Peculiarly, the grebe ingests a large number of their own feathers, believed to protect their stomachs from puncture wounds by bones and hard items entering their intestines.

Grebes breed with more flair than any other bird species. Their courtship rituals are elaborate and captivating and include intense displays of posture and side by side racing across the surface of the water while reared up on their feet. Nesting is done quite typically with decaying vegetation which is anchored on aquatic plants. The female lay from 2-6 eggs with an incubation period of 20-30 days. From birth, the young grebe is able to dive and swim. The adult grebe carries their young on their backs to shelter and protect.

There has been a worldwide decline in many grebe species due to alteration of habitat as well as the introduction of predatory fish species and the ingestion of toxins such as PCBs. Several of the species have been placed at risk including the Horned Grebe which according to a National Audubon Society study declined in numbers by 70% between the years 1966-2003.

Following is an introduction to the most common species of grebe that exist in the Northern Hemisphere.

Eared Grebe (Podiceps nigricollis)

One of the smaller of the grebe

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