Northern Silvery Grebe Podiceps occipitalis juninensis

Northern Silvery Grebe Podiceps juninensis
(aka Silvery Grebe Podiceps occipitalis juninensis)

Chilean name: Blanquillo

Lauca N.P., Chile
February 2007

The Silvery Grebe was divided into two sub-species: P. o. occipitalis which is distributed in central and southern Chile and adjacent areas of Argentina; and P. o. juninensis which is distributed in the Andes from Colombia to northern Chile. The HBW and Birdlife Checklist has split these into two separate species: Northern Silvery Grebe P. juninensis and Southern Silvery Grebe P. occipitalis.

The Northern Silvery Grebe is found on freshwater lakes and ponds in the Andes from Colombia south to northern Chile and northwestern Argentina.

It feeds mainly on insects, insect larvae and small shellfish.

In comparison with the Southern Silvery Grebe in breeding plumage it has a white rather than grey throat, a black vs grey forehead and it lacks the golden ear-tufts. It is also sedentary rather than migratory and it has a higher pitched voice.

There is a distribution map of the two species on xeno-canto.

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