Podilymbus Explained

Podilymbus is a genus of birds in the Grebe family, the genus 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".^[1]

Species

The genus contains two recent species :

There are also several prehistoric taxa of Podilymbus described from fossil remains:

• Podilymbus majusculus (Late Pliocene of Idaho)
• Podilymbus wetmorei (Late Pleistocene of Florida)
• Podilymbus podiceps magnus - a paleosubspecies of the pied-billed grebe of uncertain validity.

Notes and References

1. Cabard P. and Chauvet B. (2003). Etymologie des noms d'oiseaux Belin Eveil éditeur, France