Grebes

The order Podicipediformes contains only the grebe family, some 20 species of diving birds. Grebes are characterized by lobes (rather than webs) on their toes, and their legs are so far to the rear of the body that locomotion on land is awkward. Grebes breed on freshwater lakes and ponds, but some species spend non-breeding periods along seacoasts. Grebes do not appear to be closely related to any other living order of birds. Although taxonomists have placed grebes next to the order of loons, ornithologists now speculate that grebes' relationships may lie elsewhere -- perhaps with the order of cranes, rails, and their relatives (Gruiformes).