Colombian Grebe

Podiceps andinus (Meyer de Schauensee, 1959)

Colombian Grebe, Podiceps andinus, was a grebe of the montane wetlands around Bogotá in central Colombia, in the eastern Andes of South America. It is now extinct. It was once common in Lake Tota, and later records show a steep fall in numbers before it disappeared. Compared with the black-necked grebe, it had a reddish-brown foreneck and ear tufts that were more orange than yellow. Its loss is linked to wetland drainage, silt build-up, pollution, reed cutting, hunting, competition, and chicks taken by introduced rainbow trout.

Order

Podicipediformes

Family

Podicipedidae — Grebes

Breeding range

South America: montane wetlands of Bogotá area (e Andes, c Colombia)