Clark's Grebe
Clark's Grebe has edged up: up 21% on the route-weighted index since 1988.
About the Clark's Grebe
The Clark's Grebe (Aechmophorus clarkii) is a North American member of the Grebes (Podicipedidae). In this analysis it is grouped with the wetland birds.
- Size
- 9–21.5 in long (23–55 cm) — a diving water bird (typical for the family)
- Habitat
- Marshes, ponds, lakeshores and other freshwater wetlands.
- Diet
- Aquatic invertebrates, small fish, frogs and plant matter.
- Range
- Recorded on 70 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 12 states, most concentrated in the Great Basin.
- Family
- Podicipedidae · Wetland birds
Notable Clark's Grebe Trends
No notable trend signals for Clark's Grebe. See the full index history below.
Clark's Grebe Population Forecast
If the recent trend holds, Clark's Grebe is projected to stay roughly flat through 2029, near 0.04 (95% range 0.00–0.07). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±165.6%, with 100% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
| Year | Projected index | 95% low | 95% high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 0.03 | 0.00 | 0.07 |
| 2026 | 0.04 | 0.00 | 0.07 |
| 2027 | 0.04 | 0.00 | 0.07 |
| 2028 | 0.04 | 0.00 | 0.07 |
| 2029 | 0.04 | 0.00 | 0.07 |
Where the Clark's Grebe Is Detected
BBS routes recording Clark's Grebe, sized by most recent count.
Clark's Grebe Population Trend by State
| Arizona | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| California | -34% | 1988 | 23 |
| Colorado | insufficient data | n/a | 5 |
| Idaho | -37% | 1990 | 7 |
| Montana | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| Nebraska | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Nevada | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| North Dakota | insufficient data | n/a | 4 |
| Oregon | +38% | 1989 | 6 |
| South Dakota | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Utah | +818% | 1992 | 9 |
| Wyoming | insufficient data | n/a | 8 |
Clark's Grebe Population Trend by Region
Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.
| Great Basin | -4% | 1988 | 24 |
| Northern Rockies | -59% | 1996 | 15 |
| Coastal California | +107% | 1988 | 13 |
Clark's Grebe Conservation Status
Our route-weighted index shows it up about 21% since 1988.
Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22. Trend is a route-weighted relative-abundance index, not an absolute population.