Grebe ? Grebes Western Grebe Scientific classification Kingdom : Animalia Phylum : Chordata Class : Aves Order : Podicipediformes Fürbringer , 1888 Family : Podicipedidae Bonaparte , 1831 Genera Podiceps Tachybaptus Podilymbus Aechmophorus Poliocephalus Rollandia Grebes are members of the Podicipediformes order , a widely distributed order of freshwater diving birds , some of which visit the sea when migrating and in winter . This order contains only a single family , the Podicipedidae , containing 20 species in 6 genera . Grebes are small to medium-large in size , have lobed toes , and are excellent swimmers and divers . However , they have their feet placed far back on the body , making them quite ungainly on land . They leave the water only to nest , walking very short distances upright like penguins . They can run for a short distance , but often fall over . Grebes have narrow wings , and some species are reluctant to fly ; indeed , two South American species are completely flightless . They respond to danger by diving rather than flying , and are in any case much less wary than ducks . However , the North American and Eurasian species are all , of necessity , migratory over much or all of their ranges , and those species that winter at sea are also seen regularly in flight . Even the small freshwater Pied-billed Grebe of North America has occurred as a transatlantic vagrant to Europe on more than 30 occasions . Bills vary from short and thick to long and pointed ; the feet are always large , with broad lobes on the toes and small webs connecting the front three toes . The hind toe also has a small lobe . Recent experimental work has shown that these lobes work like the hydrofoil blades of a propeller . Curiously , the same mechanism seems to have evolved independently in the extinct Cretaceous -age Hesperornithiformes . Grebes have unusual plumage . It is dense and waterproof , and on the underside the feathers are at right-angles to the skin , sticking straight out to begin with and curling at the tip . By pressing their feathers against the body , grebes can adjust their buoyancy . Often , they swim low in the water with just the head and neck exposed . In the non-breeding season , grebes are plain-coloured in dark browns and whites . However , most have ornate and distinctive breeding plumages , often developing chestnut markings on the head area , and perform elaborate display rituals . The young , particularly those of the Podiceps genus , are often striped and retain some of their juvenile plumage even after reaching full size . When preening , grebes eat their own feathers , and feed them to their young . The function of this behaviour is uncertain but it is believed to assist with pellet formation and to reduce their vulnerability to gastric parasites . The grebes share anatomical characters with and are genetically most closely related to flamingos Phoenicopteridae , in spite of their superficial differences . Species in taxonomic order Genus Tachybaptus Little Grebe , Tachybaptus ruficollis Australasian Grebe Tachybaptus novaehollandiae Madagascar Grebe , Tachybaptus pelzelnii Alaotra Grebe ( Rusty Grebe ) , Tachybaptus rufolavatus - probably extinct ( late 1980s ) Least Grebe , Tachybaptus dominicus Genus Podilymbus Pied-billed Grebe , Podilymbus podiceps † Atitlán Grebe , Podilymbus gigas Conservation status : Extinct  ( 1989 ) Genus Rollandia White-tufted Grebe , Rollandia rolland Titicaca Flightless Grebe , Rollandia microptera Genus Poliocephalus Hoary-headed Grebe , Poliocephalus poliocephalus New Zealand Dabchick , Poliocephalus rufopectus Genus Podiceps Red-necked Grebe , Podiceps grisegena Great Crested Grebe , Podiceps cristatus Slavonian Grebe or Horned Grebe , Podiceps auritus Black-necked Grebe or Eared Grebe , Podiceps nigricollis † Colombian Grebe , Podiceps andinus Conservation status : Extinct  ( 1977 ) Great Grebe , Podiceps major Silvery Grebe , Podiceps occipitalis Junin Flightless Grebe , Podiceps taczanowskii Hooded Grebe , Podiceps gallardoi Genus Aechmophorus Western Grebe , Aechmophorus occidentalis Clark 's Grebe , Aechmophorus clarkii External links Grebe videos on the Internet Bird Collection References Grebes of our world by André Konter . Lynx Edicions. 187 pages . ISBN 84-87334-33-4 Categories : Podicipedidae | Podicipediformes In other languages : Česky | Dansk | Deutsch | Español | Esperanto | Français | עברית | Lietuvių | Magyar | Nederlands | 日本語 | Norsk ( bokmål ) | Polski | Português | Русский | Slovenščina | Suomi | Svenska | 中文 pink Grebes Westerngrebe8lg.JPG 250px Western Grebe Animalia Chordata Aves Podicipediformes Fürbringer , 1888 Podicipedidae Bonaparte , 1831 Genera * Podiceps * Tachybaptus * Podilymbus * Aechmophorus * Poliocephalus * Rollandia 1989 1977 de 