eBird maps show seasonal movements of the Horned Grebe

In ‘On the Move’, our regular migration column, we feature pairs of range maps from eBird that you can use to compare where birds of interest are at different times of the year. We featured the Horned Grebe, pictured above, in our September/October 2019 issue.

Maps from eBird show where Horned Grebes were spotted in October 2008-2018 (left) and January 2008-2018.

The Horned Grebe is known to most North American birdwatchers only on the breeding grounds and during migration, where it occurs throughout much of southern Canada and the lower 48 states. During the breeding season, however, the species is found from central Alaska through most of western and central Canada and parts of Montana and North Dakota, where it breeds in many small ponds and lake inlets with emergent vegetation. Horned Grebes nest alone or in small groups of pairs during the breeding season and can form large groups of several hundred individuals outside the breeding season. In October, look for the species in lakes, large ponds, and reservoirs in interior North America, as well as near shore along both coasts. During the non-breeding season, in January, the bird is found primarily from Texas east to the mid-Atlantic region and along the entire Pacific coast.

See eBird’s real-time distribution map for the Horned Grebe.

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A version of this article appeared in “Birding Briefs” in the September/October 2019 issue of BirdWatching.