Great Crested Grebe

Podiceps cristatus

Least Concern · IUCN Red List

LCLeast ConcernFishWetlandPlatform nestLarge · 731 g

What the Great Crested Grebe sounds like

Sonogram of the Great Crested Grebe: time runs left to right, pitch bottom to top, and the brighter the mark the louder the sound.
Recorded by Sonothèque ADVL · Call · Val-Couesnon, Ille-et-Vilaine, Bretagne, France · CC0 · via xeno-canto
Sonogram of the Great Crested Grebe: time runs left to right, pitch bottom to top, and the brighter the mark the louder the sound.
Recorded by Grégoire Chauvot · Lidingö, Danderyd Municipality, Stockholms län, Sweden · CC0 · via xeno-canto
Sonogram of the Great Crested Grebe: time runs left to right, pitch bottom to top, and the brighter the mark the louder the sound.
Recorded by Sonothèque ADVL · Call · Sains, Ille-et-Vilaine, Bretagne, France · CC0 · via xeno-canto

ID tip

The great crested grebe is the largest species of grebe in the Old World, though some larger species occur in the Americas. They measure 46–51 cm (18–20 in) long with a 59–73 cm (23–29 in) wingspan and weigh 0.9 to 1.5 kg (2.0 to 3.3 lb). It is an excellent swimmer and diver, and pursues its fish prey underwater. The adults are unmistakable in summer with head and neck decorations. In winter, this is whiter than most grebes, with white above the eye, and a pink bill. Birds resident in warmer tropical and subtropical regions (particularly in subspecies P. c. infuscatus and P. c.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

When to see the Great Crested Grebe

One bar for each month, and every month is filled: this bird is recorded here in all twelve. The wide bar is April, the month with the most records.

Where to see the Great Crested Grebe

Regular rangeRare visitor

The map shades 96 countries with regular records, and 3 more in a lighter tone where the bird turns up only as a stray. Everything unshaded has no records. Countries are listed below the map.

Recorded as a rare visitor in Iceland, Eswatini, Libya.

About the Great Crested Grebe

The great crested grebe is a member of the grebe family of water birds. The bird is characterised by its distinctive appearance, featuring striking black, orange-brown, and white plumage, and elaborate courtship display that involves synchronised dances and displays.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Easily confused with

Side by side: Great Crested Grebe vs Pied-billed Grebe · Great Crested Grebe vs Horned Grebe · Black-necked Grebe vs Great Crested Grebe · Great Crested Grebe vs Red-necked Grebe

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