Red-necked Grebe

Identification

A large grebe; in breeding plumage it has a reddish-brown neck, pale grey cheeks and throat and a black cap. The head is smooth without ear tufts, which separates it from Great Crested Grebe; the bill is stout, black with a yellow base. In winter it is grey with a dusky neck and a diffuse pale cheek. In the breeding season it calls loudly with low, braying sounds.

Family

Podicipedidae

Size

Large (crow)

Colours

black, brown, grey, white, yellow

About the habitat

Breeds on shallow, vegetated lakes, ponds and sheltered bays, often near gull colonies; winters on sheltered coastal waters, estuaries and large lakes.

Diet

Mainly small fish, as well as aquatic insects, crustaceans, molluscs and amphibians, caught by diving or picked from vegetation. It swallows its own feathers and even feeds them to its chicks.

Behaviour

An excellent swimmer and quick diver that usually dives rather than flies when alarmed. Pairs are territorial and perform elaborate displays with loud, braying and wailing duets. It builds a floating nest among vegetation, and parents often carry the chicks on their backs. It cannot take off from land and needs a long run across the water.

Photo: Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Red-necked grebe (Podiceps grisegena grisegena) breeding adult Gronjordssoen.jpg

Text: Wikipedia (English) + FinBIF species descriptions, CC BY-SA 4.0; FinBIF: CC BY 4.0 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-necked_grebe