Grebes’ diets are made up almost entirely of animal matter.

Other names for this species include “swan grebe”, “dabchick” and “swan-necked grebe”. Clark’s grebe was recognized as a distinct species in 1985 (AOU 1985). Bill is yellow-orange. All Grebes have large feet with lobed toes.

Western Grebes (Aechmophorus occidentalis) and Clark’s Grebes (Aechmophorus clarkii) are probably best known for their elaborate courtship displays. The Western Grebe makes a single sharp kreet whereas the Clark’s Grebe makes two kreets. Clark's Grebe closely resembles the Western Grebe and was long considered a color morph of it. Most grebes are a medium or large size. Both Western and Clark’s grebes eat mostly insects and fish. The western grebe is a common breeder in eastern Oregon, especially at large lakes and marshes having open water in Klamath, Harney, Goose Lake, and Warner basins.

The nomenclatural history of the two is included in the introduction to the Western Grebe.

The rituals of Western and Clark's Grebes are almost identical; the only difference is that one of many calls differs in the number of notes. This species has been known to interbreed with the Clark’s Grebe, which looks much like and shares the same habitat as the Western … Evidence for the renewed specific status of Clark's Grebe began with finding that Western ( Aechmophorus occidentalis ) and Clark's grebes mated assortatively ( Storer, R. W. (1965). These ceremonies are some of the most complex displays in the world of birds. Some grebes, such as the Little Grebe are smaller.

Direct flight on rapid wing beats. The Western Grebe is the largest North American member of the grebe family. They also eat clams and crayfish. White face, black cap extends nearly to red eyes. Until the 1980's thought to be a pale morph of the Western Grebe. The dabchicks and the pied-billed grebe are most numerous on small waters with much emergent vegetation, the western grebe on large bodies of open water. In the western grebe, the black cap typically extends down to the eye whereas white facial plumage extends slightly above the eye on the Clark's grebe, but this is not always diagnostic in winter.

We are fortunate in Northern California to have four lakes that support 76% of the total number of nesting grebes in California1. Western Grebe, Aechmophorus occidentalis; Clark's Grebe, Aechmophorus clarkii; Description, color and shape. Some species winter on sheltered coastal waters. Clark's Grebes and the closely related Western Grebes perform the most spectacular displays of the family, and arguably the most complex known for any birds. Grebes breed on still or slow-moving bodies of fresh water. Western and Clark’s grebes are best known for their elaborate courtship displays, particularly the Rushing Ceremony, in which two birds often appear to ‘skate’ across the water side-by-side with heads held high (Storer and Nuechterlein 1992). Clark's Grebe: Large grebe, gray-black upperparts, white underparts, and slender neck with white on front and black on back.