Great Crested Grebe
Podiceps cristatus
Pair formation starts in winter with an elaborate courtship: partners shake their heads in synchrony, eventually rise breast to breast on the water and present each other with nest material or food. For their first weeks the striped chicks mostly ride hidden in their parents' back feathers.
- Group
- Waders & Waterbirds
- Photos
- 6
- Taken
- 2019–2025
Profile: Great Crested Grebe
- Family
- Grebes (Podicipedidae)
- Size
- 46–51 cm
- Wingspan
- 59–73 cm
- Weight
- approx. 0.8–1.4 kg
- Habitat
- Larger lakes and ponds rich in fish with reed fringes, in winter also rivers and coastal waters.
- Diet
- Mainly small fish caught by diving, plus aquatic insects, small crustaceans and tadpoles.
- When to see
- Resident or migratory depending on region; in Germany mostly present all year, moving to ice-free waters and coasts when lakes stay frozen. Eastern breeders winter on western and southern European coasts.
Learn more: Wikipedia · NABU (German)