Subject: Podilymbus podiceps, Pied-billed Grebe

Location: Lago de Yojoa, near Peña Blanca, Honduras

Stock Number: 09-24576

Comments: The Pied-billed Grebe breeds as far north as the Northwest Territories, Hudson Bay, and Nova Scotia, and south into the heartland of the United States. It winters in southern climes where the water is free of ice.

The Pied-billed Grebe is absent from Alaska, the northernmost reaches of Canada, and most of the Amazon basin. Otherwise, it has a very wide distribution across North and South America. It does not breed in Latin America or the southern United States.

One fascinating trait of Podilymbus podiceps is its ability to sink rapidly to avoid predators. Another is its nest-building habits, which involve the construction of a well-hidden and well-camouflaged nest that floats on the water's surface.

The common name refers to the dark marking on an otherwise light-colored bill. Note, though, that while the dark ring is present during the breeding season, it is absent during much of the rest of the year..

The bird in this photo was feeding in the shallows of Lago de Yojoa, the largest natural lake in Honduras.

Related image: Turquoise-browed Motmot photo taken near this same spot.