Horned Grebe
(Podiceps auritus)

Summary

Picture of bird
© Jukka Jantunen (flickr.com/photos/jukka_jantunen)
For additional photos and vocalizations, visit Dendroica. (Link opens in a new window.)

More than 90% of the Horned Grebes in North America breed in ponds and lakes in western and northern Canada. A small isolated population also nests on the Magdalen Islands in the Gulf of St. Lawrence (COSEWIC 2009d). Results from the Breeding Bird Survey suggest a large decrease in the bulk of the population in Canada since 1970. However, limitations in coverage and contradictory results from the Christmas Bird Count, which suggest little change in the wintering population, mean the reliability of this assessment is considered to be low. Targeted surveys show large declines in the abundance of the tiny Magdalen Islands population. In 2009, the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada designated the Western population as Special Concern because of ongoing declines and numerous threats throughout the year (COSEWIC), and the Magdalen Islands population as Endangered, given its very small and declining size (COSEWIC). Both populations are listed under the Species at Risk Act. This species has been identified as a priority for conservation and/or stewardship in one or more Bird Conservation Region Strategies in Canada.

Designations

Main designations for the species
DesignationStatusDateSubspecies, population
COSEWIC (Canada)Endangered2009Horned Grebe - Magdalen Islands population
COSEWIC (Canada)Special Concern2009Horned Grebe - Western population
SARA (Canada)Endangered2011Horned Grebe - Magdalen Islands population
SARA (Canada)Special Concern2017Horned Grebe - Western population
IUCN (Global)Vulnerable2018 
Wild Species (Canada)Secure2015 
State of North America’s BirdsWatch list2016 
Bird Conservation Region StrategyPriority Species2013 

Population status

Geographic area or populationPopulation change relative to ~1970ReliabilityStatus in relation to goal
CanadaLarge DecreaseLowNot Applicable
Horned Grebe (Magdalen Islands population)Large DecreaseHighBelow Acceptable Level
Horned Grebe (Western population)Large DecreaseLowBelow Acceptable Level
 

Population estimate

Geographic area or populationPopulation estimate
Canada400,000 - 500,000 breeding birds
 

Distribution maps

 

Migration strategy, occurrence

Short-distance migrant

Responsibility for conservation

Geographic areaResponsibility based on % of global population
CanadaTo be determined

General nesting period in Canada

Nesting period starts between early May and early June and ends between mid-July and late July, depending on the region. Before or after this period, the probability of an active nest is lower.
 

Conservation and management

During migration and winter, Horned Grebes are vulnerable to oil spills and mortality from entanglement in commercial fishing nets, and significant mortality has also been linked to botulism and contaminant poisoning (Stedman 2000, COSEWIC 2009d, Princé et al. 2018). The Western population faces threats to breeding sites from agricultural development and degradation of wetlands, the loss of nesting sites through drought or rising water levels, increasing populations of predators, and possibly competition with other grebe species (Stedman 2000, COSEWIC 2009d). Given its very small size, the Magdalen Islands population is vulnerable to both demographic and environmental variation, as well as anthropogenic disturbance of breeders (COSEWIC 2009d). For information on the legal status of this species under the Species at Risk Act (SARA) and to view available recovery documents, see the SARA Registry.

 

Bird conservation region strategies

Environment and Climate Change Canada and partners have developed Bird Conservation Region Strategies in each of Canada’s Bird Conservation Regions (BCRs). In these strategies, selected species are identified as priorities for one or more of the following reasons:

  • conservation concerns (i.e., species vulnerable due to population size, distribution, population trend, abundance, or threats)
  • stewardship responsibilities (i.e., species that typify the regional avifauna or have a large proportion of their range or population in the sub-region)
  • management concerns (i.e., species that require ongoing management because of their socio-economic importance as game species, or because of their impacts on other species or habitats)
  • other concerns (i.e., species deemed a priority by regional experts for other reasons than those listed above or because they are listed as species at risk or concern at the provincial level)

Select any of the sub-regions below to view the BCR strategy for additional details.

BCRs, marine biogeographic units, and sub-regions in which the species is listed as a priority
RegionSub-region and priority type
Atlantic Northern ForestsAtlantic Northern Forests, sub-region and priority type: Quebec -- Other
Boreal Hardwood TransitionBoreal Hardwood Transition, sub-region and priority type: Ontario and Manitoba -- Conservation
Boreal Softwood ShieldBoreal Softwood Shield, sub-region and priority type: Ontario -- Conservation
Boreal Softwood ShieldBoreal Softwood Shield, sub-region and priority type: Prairie and Northern -- Conservation
Boreal Taiga PlainsBoreal Taiga Plains, sub-region and priority type: Prairie and Northern -- Conservation
Great BasinGreat Basin, sub-region and priority type: Pacific and Yukon -- Other
Gulf of St. LawrenceGulf of St. Lawrence, sub-region and priority type: Atlantic, NB -- Conservation
Gulf of St. LawrenceGulf of St. Lawrence, sub-region and priority type: Atlantic, NL -- Other
Gulf of St. LawrenceGulf of St. Lawrence, sub-region and priority type: Atlantic, NS -- Other
Gulf of St. LawrenceGulf of St. Lawrence, sub-region and priority type: Atlantic, PE -- Other
Lower Great Lakes/St. Lawrence PlainLower Great Lakes/St. Lawrence Plain, sub-region and priority type: Ontario -- Conservation
Northern Pacific RainforestNorthern Pacific Rainforest, sub-region and priority type: Pacific and Yukon -- Other
Northern RockiesNorthern Rockies, sub-region and priority type: Pacific and Yukon -- Other
Northwestern Interior ForestNorthwestern Interior Forest, sub-region and priority type: Pacific and Yukon -- Stewardship
Prairie PotholesPrairie Potholes, sub-region and priority type: Prairie and Northern -- Other
Scotian ShelfScotian Shelf, sub-region and priority type: Atlantic, NB -- Other
Scotian ShelfScotian Shelf, sub-region and priority type: Atlantic, NS -- Other
Taiga Shield and Hudson PlainsTaiga Shield and Hudson Plains, sub-region and priority type: Prairie and Northern -- Conservation
 

References