Podiceps discors
Podiceps discors is an extinct species of grebe from the Upper Pliocene of western North America. It was similar to the black-necked grebe.
History
The specimens were collected in the summer of 1951 from Kansas, United States by Claude W. Hibbard and the species was named in 1967 by Bertram G. Murray. The species name "discors" refers to how different it is from other members of Podiceps.Description
The holotype is a complete left tarsometatarsus, which is comparable in size to tarsometatarsi of the black-necked grebe and of the females of the horned grebe. It differs from them by its internal condyle is not internally flared, and the head is small relative to the length of the bone. Further when viewed at the medial perspective, the tarsometatarsus of P. discors is not as long or it is directed so far anteriorly as seen in other species of the genus. Additional material has been found in Idaho which represent a complete femur, an almost complete carpometacarpus, three coracoids, two scapulae and two distal end fragments of two tibiotarsi. They are all similar to those of the same bone elements in the black-necked grebe with some overlap, though the bones are more slender in form by comparison.A femur from California has been recovered that is identical to UMMP 52423.