Aechmophorus occidentalis
Silhouette: PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
The western grebe (Aechmophorus occidentalis) is a species in the grebe family of water birds. Folk names include "dabchick", "swan grebe" and "swan-necked grebe". Western grebe fossils from the Late Pleistocene of southwest North America were described as a distinct species, but later ranked as a paleosubspecies Aechmophorus occidentalis lucasi. Later studies found them to fall within the variation now known to exist in today's birds.
The western grebe is the largest North American grebe. It is 55–75 cm (22–30 in) long, weighs 795–2,000 g (1.753–4.409 lb) and measures 79–102 cm (31–40 in) across the wings. It is black-and-white, with a long, slender, swan-like neck and red eyes. It is easily confused with Clark's grebe, which shares similar features, body size, behavior and habitat, and hybrids are known. Clark's grebes generally populate more of the southern part of North America Other differences are whiter flanks and paler gray backs when comparing Clark's grebe to the western grebe.
The western grebe has black around the eyes and a straight greenish-yellow bill whereas Clark's grebe has white around the eyes and an up-turned bright yellow bill. The downy young... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Channel Islands National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 3 | Redwood National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Elk Island National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 5 | Olympic National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Yellowstone National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Grand Teton National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Riding Mountain National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 9 | Pacific Rim National Park Reserve | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 10 | Great Bear Rainforest | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 11 | Banff National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 12 | Zion National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 13 | Glacier National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 14 | Rocky Mountain National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ciudad Juárez | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 2 | Los Angeles | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | San Francisco | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | San Diego | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Mesa | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Tijuana | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 7 | Denver | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Seattle | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Portland | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Las Vegas | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SeaWorld San Diego | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Western Grebe sighting in Elk Island National Park on a given day, based on 52 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 93rd most-seen of the 161 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May–June and August–October
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Western Grebe in Elk Island National Park on a given day, against under 5% in July and November–April, the lowest months.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Western Grebe sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
4th of 14
Of the 14 parks where we can rate Western Grebe sightings, Elk Island National Park ranks 4th at about 10%. The best odds are in Channel Islands National Park (United States, about 30%), El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve (Mexico, about 20%) and Redwood National Park (United States, about 20%).
Same family: Podicipedidae
The closest relatives of the Western Grebe that you can see in Elk Island National Park (family Podicipedidae, Grebes) are Red-necked Grebe (about 70%), Eared Grebe (about 20%) and Horned Grebe (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Western Grebe is recorded against all the birds logged in Elk Island National Park (52 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
