Animalia Life

Podiceps major
TAXONOMY
Colymbus major, Boddaert, 1783, Cayenne. Two subspecies.
OTHER COMMON NAMES
French: Grand Grиbe; German: Magellantaucher; Spanish: Somormujo Macachуn.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
22–31 in (57–78 cm), P. m. navasi largest, Peruvian birds smallest; 3.5 lb (1600 g). Slender with very long neck and thin, slightly upturned bill. Adult breeding: face gray to blackish, small median crest on hindcrown black, hind-neck dark gray to black, back blackish with pale feather edges, neck, breast, flanks, and vent rufous, flanks with dusky wash, belly, secondaries, inner primaries and base of outer primaries white. Eyes brown, bill black. Nonbreeding either similar, but with pale gray lores and throat, or duller, or with cap black, upper lore pale, cheeks graybrown, neck gray with some rufous, and sides gray. Immature: sides of head with bold black lines and spots, neck dull rufous, body rather uniform sooty gray, belly white.
DISTRIBUTION
P. m. major: western Peru, central Chile and all of Argentina north to southern Paraguay and southeastern Brazil, many winter on coast; P. m. navasi: southern Chile, in winter on coast. Podiceps major
HABITAT
Large open lakes and marshes, in winter in kelp zone along coast.
BEHAVIOR
Alone or in loose groups, often nesting in colonies.
FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET
Mainly eats fish, but also some arthropods and mollusks, locally many crabs. Feeds in fairly deep water.
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
Courtship display rather poorly developed. Large nest, often close to each other in colonies. Sometimes double-brooded. Eggs 1–6, usually 2–3.
CONSERVATION STATUS
Common in southern part of range and not at risk. Total population estimated at 50,000.
SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS
None known.

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