Great Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus)

[order] PODICIPEDIFORMES | [family] Podicipedidae | [latin] Podiceps cristatus | [UK] Great Crested Grebe | [FR] Grebe huppe | [DE] Haubentaucher | [ES] Somormujo Lavanco | [NL] Fuut

Subspecies

Physical charateristics

They are the largest European grebes with slender white necks in all plumages. In winter the face is mostly pale with just a narrow black, slightly crested, cap. In summer this pattern develops into elaborate black and chestnut plumes called tippets. In flight they appear hump-backed with conspicuously pale panels in the long narrow wings.

Listen to the sound of Great Crested Grebe

[audio:http://www.aviflevoland.nl/sounddb/G/Great Crested Grebe.mp3]

Copyright remark: Most sounds derived from xeno-canto

Video

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mGiathcnUM

Range

Africa, Oriental Region, Australasia : widespread

Habitat

For breeding prefers fresh or brackish water, fringed by vegetation, with sizeable sheets of open waer for foraging. Readily accepts artificial water bodies, including reservoirs, ponds, fish ponds, gravel pits an ornamental lakes; also on slow stretches of rivers with backwaters or pools.In tropical Africa, occurs on cold montane lakes, up to 3000 m and above;in New Zealand, occupies alpine and subalpine lakes up to 1000 m, where, incontrast to Palearctic birds, tolerates harsh conditions, including rough water and occasionally waters partially frozen over. Outwith breeding siason,disperses to coasts, estuaries and large, exposed lakes and reservoirs.

Reproduction

Egg laying starts mainly April-July in Europe, all months in tropical Africa, with peaks usualy inor immediatly after long rains.Nest is a platform of aquatic plants,either floating and anchored to vegetation or built from lake bottom. Clutch usually 3-5 eggs which are incubated for 25-30 days. This species reaches sexual maturity at 2 years of age.
Their courtship displays are remarkable. Most commonly they involve both members of a pair facing each other on the water and repeatedly shaking their heads or quickly turning the head away and touching their back. Such birds may then swim away, dive for nesting material then swim towards each other with their necks out flat on the water in front of them. When they meet, they rise up together as if they’re standing on the water facing each other, beaks full of vegetation, waving their heads from side to side and paddling like fury with their feet. The standing posture gives this the name of ?Penguin display’. Another display involves holding the wings out sideways and turning them so that the feathers face forwards, showing as much as possible of their black and white wing pattern. Like other grebes, they will carry their young on their backs.

Feeding habits

Mainly sizeable fish, wide variety of species taken. Takes wide tange of insects andother aquatic invertebrates, crustaceans, especially crayfish and shrimps,and molluscs,including snails; dives average 20-25 seconds performed in areas of open water or with scattered clumps of vegetation.

Conservation

This species has an extremely large range, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the range size criterion (Extent of Occurrence <20,000 km2 combined with a declining or fluctuating range size, habitat extent/quality, or population size and a small number of locations or severe fragmentation). The population trend is not known, but the population is not believed to be decreasing sufficiently rapidly to approach the thresholds under the population trend criterion (>30% decline over ten years or three generations). The population size is very large, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population size criterion (<10,000 mature individuals with a continuing decline estimated to be >10% in ten years or three generations, or with a specified population structure). For these reasons the species is evaluated as Least Concern.
Podiceps cristatus is a widespread breeder across much of Europe, which accounts
for less than half of its global breeding range. Its European breeding population is
large (>300,000 pairs), and underwent a large increase between 1970-1990. Although
the species was stable or increased across much of Europe during 1990-2000, certain
populations?notably in Finland, Sweden and Poland?suffered declines, and the
species underwent a moderate decline (>10%) overall.

Migration

Migratory and dispersive; unlikely that any west Palearctic population truly sedentary though some individuals may be. In west Europe, at least, many make short moult movements to large lakes and reservoirs; females tend to depart first, males to moult on breeding waters. Movements away from nesting areas begin July-August; moulting concentrations build up on certain waters then, and in September are joined by birds that moulted elsewhere. In west Europe, dispersal to coast gradual after moult, many remaining inland October-November, though fewer by January; these remain unless or until water freezes. In north and east Europe, more strictly summer migrant as lakes more often frozen in winter. Return movements gradual, from mid-February in Britain but not until April in Russia; most territories taken up by early May though presumed non-breeders arrive into June.

Distribution map