Pied-billed Grebe - Taxonomy and Name

Taxonomy and Name

The Pied-billed Grebe was described by Carl Linnaeus in the 10th edition of his Systema Naturae in 1758 as Colymbus podiceps. The binomial name is derived from Latin Podilymbus, a contraction of podicipes ("feet at the buttocks", from podici-, "rump-" + pes, "foot")—the origin of the name of the grebe order—and Ancient Greek kolymbos, "diver", and podiceps, "rump-headed", from podici- + New Latin ceps.

Outside its own genus, the closest relatives of the Pied-billed Grebe are the small grebes of the genus Tachybaptus.