A Pied-billed grebe that had been injured in Hamilton County from a bad landing was assessed and treated at the Ohio Wildlife Center hospital in late winter after rescue volunteer Larry Jacobs brought the bird to Columbus from the Humane Association of Warren County. A game warden had picked up the bird after it was found grounded in a parking lot.
When the Pied-billed grebe arrived at the Wildlife Hospital, staff Veterinarian Dr. Melinda Marksz assessed the bird and found it had sustained minor injuries from a bad landing on the parking lot.
Waterbirds like the Pied-billed grebe sometimes land on asphalt parking lots after a rainstorm because, from the sky, the black asphalt looks glossy– just like water. Since Pied-billed grebes have legs positioned all the way at the back of their body, they are dependent on water to take off and land safely. The scientific name for this bird, Colymbus podiceps, helps to identify this feature since podici means “rump-” and pes means “foot”, giving it the binomial name that translates to “feet at the buttocks”.
Once grounded, it is very hard for a bird designed for a water take-off to get back into the air again, according to Casey Philips, director of Ohio Wildlife Center’s Hospital. “It is fortunate this bird was found and that a concerned citizen near Cincinnati was persistent in finding a way to get it checked by a wildlife professional,” she said. “It was able to join up with a grebe flock on a local waterway, so its short detour to Columbus didn’t slow him down for long,” Philips said.
During its time at the Wildlife Hospital, staff assessed the grebe and monitored it during routine “swims” in a large livestock watering tub. These supervised swims helped the bird gain back its natural waterproofing that can be easily lost when it’s under human care.
After a final examination from Dr. Marksz, the bird was released back in Hamilton County.