White-tufted Grebe (Rollandia rolland)

Identification & Behavior: ~26.4 cm (10.3 in). The White-tufted Grebe has a black head, neck, and upperparts, with a conspicuous triangle-shaped white patch on the sides of the head. The underparts are rich rufous with shades of gray. Juvenile birds are gray-brown with distinctive facial markings, which are kept even when birds attain the size of an adult. It is distinguished from Pied-billed Grebe and Least Grebe by the conspicuous triangular white patches on the sides of the head.

Status: The White-tufted Grebe is common in weedy edges of bodies of water in the highlands and coastal lakes and estuaries. It also occurs in Br, Bo, and Ch.

Name in Spanish: Zambullidor Pimpollo.

Sub-species: White-tufted Grebe (Rollandia rolland) (Quoy & Gaimard, 1824).
R. r. morrisoni: Andes of central Peru (Lake Junín).
R. r. chilensis: S Peru and s Brazil to Tierra del Fuego and Cape Horn.

Meaning of Name:  Rollandia: Specific name Podiceps rolland. rolland= In honor of Thomas Pierre Rolland, Master Gunner  (1776-1847) French Navy, of the corvette L’Uranie which circled the globe 1817-1848.

See more of the Family Podicipedidae