The Western Grebe breeds colonially on lakes and marshes throughout Canada’s western provinces and forms large offshore feeding flocks in winter. Results from the Christmas Bird Count indicate a large decrease in the continental population. Although this may partly reflect a shift in wintering distribution southward along the Pacific Coast (Wilson et al. 2013), regional data sources also support breeding declines in British Columbia and Alberta. In 2014, the Western Grebe was assessed as Special Concern by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) due to these declines and the potential for increased threats, and was listed as such under the Species at Risk Act in 2017. This species has been identified as a priority for conservation and/or stewardship in one or more Bird Conservation Region Strategies in Canada.
Although protected from hunting since the start of the 20th century, the Western Grebe's gregarious behaviour leaves it vulnerable to human activities throughout its annual cycle (COSEWIC 2014). They are dependent on large lakes with sufficient open water and fish, but also with large beds of emergent vegetation where they can build floating nests protected from waves. Shoreline development and other habitat degradation, as well as boat traffic and altered water levels, can cause abandonment of nest sites and severely reduced breeding success. On the wintering grounds, oil spills, mortality from entanglement in fishing nets, and declining herring stocks (their main food source) present important threats to the species (Wilson et al. 2013, LaPorte et al. 2013, COSEWIC 2014). 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.
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:
Select any of the sub-regions below to view the BCR strategy for additional details.
