Junin Flightless Grebe

The Junín grebe (Podiceps taczanowskii), also known as Junin flightless grebe or puna grebe, is a grebe found only on Lake Junin in the highlands of Junín, west-central Peru. The grebe generally breeds in bays and channels around the edge of the Lake, within 8–75 m (26–246 ft) of reed beds, entering the reeds only for nesting or roosting. When not breeding, Junin grebe prefer open water, moving far out from lake shores. The current population is estimated at less than 250. The scientific name commemorates the Polish zoologist Władysław Taczanowski, author of Ornithology of Peru (1884–86). Another highly endangered species, the Junin rail, is restricted to the same lake.