Editing Clark's grebe (section)

===Reproduction===
[[File:Rushing Clark's Grebes.jpg|alt=Part of the complex courtship behavior of Clark's Grebes|thumb|Rushing Clark's Grebes]]

Clark's grebes appear to have semi-monogamous behavior, staying with a single mate, but possibly only for a single season as far as known. Unpaired males far outnumber the females. Males, while they stay with their mate until at least a few weeks after the hatching of their young, will have several sexual partners in their lifetime. It is less known if pairs will eventually mate again in the future. There are two courtship ceremonies that are performed before selection and mating take place: the "rushing ceremony" and the "weed ceremony". They entail a sequence of performances and advertisements/dances with the partner, or presenting the partner with a bundle of weeds and performing a different set of dances, respectively. As there are fewer females than males, the final decision of whether or not mating occurs depends on the females. Therefore, there is a level of sexual selection within the species.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Nuechterlein |first1=Gary L. |last2=Storer |first2=Robert W. |date=November 1982 |title=The pair formation displays of the Western Grebe |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/285611053 |journal=The Condor |volume=84 |issue=4 |pages=351–369 |doi=10.2307/1367437 |access-date=25 November 2018|jstor=1367437 }}</ref> These courtships take place during spring migration and shortly after arriving on the breeding grounds.

It is important to note that while there are very few cases of breeding between Clark's and western grebes, there have been cases where phenotypic hybrids (birds with plumage that is similar to both species) have mated and produced fertile offspring. It is believed, however, that this becomes less likely when the individuals are from different migrations and are not hybrids, as they have a greater chance of failing during the courtships.