Eared vs. Horned Grebe ID

[Christian Nunes]

Hi all,

I was discussing some grebe (Eared vs. Horned) ID with some birders this morning and I thought it would be a good time to share this resource with the wider community: 

https://cobirds.org/Publications/ColoradoBirds/InTheScope/26.pdf

I'd like to urge birders to be very cautious about IDing Horned Grebes in the month of September. Eared Grebes have rapidly molted out of their alternate plumage over the past few weeks and many are now in a mostly alternate state. This is the point at which these two species most frequently get confounded. Recent reports from local birding spots are assuming that a black-and-white grebe must be a Horned. But the timing is off by a month. Outside the New World, the Eared Grebe is known as the 'Black-necked Grebe'. This name is much more helpful as far as the ID goes. Instead of focusing on the face pattern, look at the front of the neck. If it's dark/dusky then it's an Eared, even if the cheeks are bright white contrasting with a dark crown. 

Christian Nunes

Boulder, CO