Great Crested Grebe
Buckpool and Fens Pool Local Nature Reserve
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The great crested grebe (Podiceps cristatus) is an elegant, large, diving waterbird found across Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia, famous for its elaborate courtship dance and the ornate head plumes it displays during the breeding season.
Appearance: Adults in breeding plumage are unmistakable, featuring a dark cap, white cheeks, a long white neck, and a striking chestnut-coloured ruff with black tips around the neck, topped by a black double crest. In winter, the ruffs are absent, and their plumage is duller, more grey-brown and white. Juveniles are distinctive, with black and white "zebra-like" stripes on their heads and necks.
Size: They are the largest grebe species in the Old World, measuring 46–51 cm (18–20 in) in length with a wingspan of 85–90 cm (33–35 in).
Behavior: Great crested grebes are highly adapted to aquatic life; their legs are placed far back on their bodies, making them excellent swimmers and divers but clumsy on land. They can stay submerged for a significant time and often dive to hunt for food or escape predators.
Habitat: They primarily inhabit shallow, open freshwater bodies such as large lakes, reservoirs, rivers, and canals, especially those with ample bank vegetation for nesting. During winter, some populations migrate to estuaries and coastal areas.
Diet: Their diet mainly consists of small fish, which they catch by diving underwater. They also consume aquatic invertebrates, crustaceans, frogs, and newts. A unique behavior involves eating their own feathers, which is thought to aid digestion and help form pellets to expel parasites.
Great Crested Grebe
Buckpool and Fens Pool Local Nature Reserve
What3Words
///thin.spill.bravo
The great crested grebe (Podiceps cristatus) is an elegant, large, diving waterbird found across Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia, famous for its elaborate courtship dance and the ornate head plumes it displays during the breeding season.
Appearance: Adults in breeding plumage are unmistakable, featuring a dark cap, white cheeks, a long white neck, and a striking chestnut-coloured ruff with black tips around the neck, topped by a black double crest. In winter, the ruffs are absent, and their plumage is duller, more grey-brown and white. Juveniles are distinctive, with black and white "zebra-like" stripes on their heads and necks.
Size: They are the largest grebe species in the Old World, measuring 46–51 cm (18–20 in) in length with a wingspan of 85–90 cm (33–35 in).
Behavior: Great crested grebes are highly adapted to aquatic life; their legs are placed far back on their bodies, making them excellent swimmers and divers but clumsy on land. They can stay submerged for a significant time and often dive to hunt for food or escape predators.
Habitat: They primarily inhabit shallow, open freshwater bodies such as large lakes, reservoirs, rivers, and canals, especially those with ample bank vegetation for nesting. During winter, some populations migrate to estuaries and coastal areas.
Diet: Their diet mainly consists of small fish, which they catch by diving underwater. They also consume aquatic invertebrates, crustaceans, frogs, and newts. A unique behavior involves eating their own feathers, which is thought to aid digestion and help form pellets to expel parasites.