The great crested grebe, scientific name Podiceps cristatus is a member of the grebe household of water birds famous for its elaborate mating show. It is scientific identity comes from Latin:
the genus identifies Podiceps is from podicis, “vent” and pes, “foot”, and is a reference to the position of a grebe’s legs in direction of the rear of its physique; the species identify, cristatus, means “crested”.
In this article, I am going to give an overview of Great crested grebe chicks, dance, call, juvenile, lifespan, courtship, eggs, size, images, etc.
Great Crested Grebe facts
The great crested grebe is a delightfully elegant waterbird with ornate head plumes which led to its being hunted for its feathers, virtually resulting in its extermination from the UK. They dive to feed and likewise to flee, preferring this to fly.
On land they’re clumsy as a result of their ft are positioned thus far again on their bodies.
They have an elaborate courtship show through which they rise out of the water and shake their heads. Very younger grebes usually trip on their parents’ backs.
Great crested grebe Description
The great crested grebe is the most important member of the grebe household discovered within the Previous World, with some bigger species residing within the Americas.
They measure 46–51 cm (18–20 in) lengthy 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 a wonderful swimmer and diver and pursues its fish prey underwater.
The adults are unmistakable in the summertime with head and neck decorations. In winter, that is whiter than most grebes, with white above the attention, and a pink invoice.
The younger is distinctive as a result of their heads are striped black and white. They lose these markings once they grow to be adults.
Great Crested Grebe Geographic Range
Great crested grebes are residents of Western Europe, Britain, and Eire, components of southern and jap Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. Breeding populations are discovered from Japanese Europe by way of Southern Russia and Mongolia.
After migration, wintering Great Crested Grebe populations may be discovered on the coastal waters of Europe, southern Africa, and Australia, in addition to in our bodies of water all through southern Asia. The estimated world inhabitants are 920,000 to 1,400,000.
The great crested grebe breeds in vegetated areas of freshwater lakes. The subspecies P. c. cristatus is discovered throughout Europe and east throughout the Palearctic.
Its resident within the milder west of its vary, however, migrates from the colder areas. It winters on freshwater lakes and reservoirs or the coast.
The African subspecies P. c. infuscatus and the Australasian subspecies P. c. australis are primarily sedentary.
Great crested grebe Description
Great crested grebes are the most important grebes in Europe. The plumage on the again and sides is mottled brown.
The back of the neck is darkish brown and the entrance of the neck and underside are white. They’ve lengthy necks and reddish-orange plumes with black tips about their heads.
These plumes are solely current through the breeding season, they begin to develop within the winter and are totally developed by spring.
Additionally, they have erectile black crests on the crown of the pinnacle which are current yr spherical.
They’ve quick tails and legs set far again for environment-friendly swimming and diving. Men and women look related and juvenile birds have black stripes on their cheeks.
Great Crested Grebe Habitat
Great crested grebes may be present in quite a lot of aquatic habitats, together with lakes, synthetic our bodies of water, sluggish flowing rivers, swamps, bays, and lagoons.
Breeding habitats of the Great Crested Grebe include shallow open bodies of recent or brackish water.
There should even be vegetation on the banks and within the water with a view to present appropriate areas for nests.
Within the winter, people from some populations migrate to our bodies of water which are positioned in gentle climates.
Great crested grebe Communication and Notion
Great crested grebes talk primarily with visible and acoustic cues. They detect prey within the water utilizing visible cues.
Mating pairs talk by producing calls, comparable to throughout their promoting habits. Additionally, they carry out elaborate courtship shows, which consist primarily of visible cues.
Aside from communication between pairs, great crested grebes are solitary.
Nothing particular is thought about olfaction in great crested grebes, however, different species of grebes have comparatively massive olfactory bulbs, which signifies that they could use olfaction for makes use of comparable to discovering prey.
There’s additionally proof that great crested grebes have a way of style. One great crested grebe rejected a fish that was later discovered to have epidermal an infection.
Video recording confirmed that the grebe held the fish within the entrance of its beak earlier than rejecting it, versus the center of its beak, which is the place grebes maintain wholesome fish.
The entrance a part of the beak used for rejection was later discovered to include style buds, which means that style was the mechanism for rejection.
Additionally, as a result of they’re a migratory species, great crested grebes could use magnetic cues to map their routes.
Great Crested Grebe Behavior
The great crested grebe has an elaborate mating show. Like all grebes, it nests on the water’s edge, since its legs are set comparatively far again and it’s thus unable to stroll very nicely.
Normally two eggs are laid, and the fluffy, striped younger grebes are sometimes carried on by the adults again.
In a clutch of two or extra hatchlings, female and male grebes will every establish their ‘favorites’, which they alone will look after and educate.
Unusually, younger grebes are able to swim and diving virtually at hatching.
The adults educate this expertise to their younger by carrying them on their again and diving, leaving the chicks to drift on the floor; they then re-emerge a couple of ft away in order that the chicks could swim again onto them.
The great crested grebe feeds primarily on fish, but in addition, small crustaceans bug small frogs and newts.
This species was hunted virtually to extinction in the UK within the 19th century for its head plumes, which had been used to embellish hats and girls’ undergarments.
The Royal Society for the Safety of Birds was set as much as assist shield this species, which is once more a standard sight.
The great crested grebe and its behavior was the topic of one of many landmark publications in avian ethology:
Julian Huxley’s 1914 paper on The Courtship‐habits of the Great Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus).
Great crested grebe Meals Habits
The weight loss program of great crested grebes consists primarily of huge fish, but in addition contains bugs, crustaceans, mollusks, grownup, and larval amphibians, and invertebrate larvae.
Their favored meals embody roach (Rutilus rutilus), perch (Perca fluviatilis), and smelt (Osmerus eperlanus).
Great crested grebes catch their prey by diving beneath the floor of the water.
They forage essentially the most throughout daybreak and nightfall, probably as a result of that is when their prey is closest to the floor. This makes the fish simpler to detect visually and likewise reduces diving distance.
Great crested grebe Reproduction
As soon as populations arrive on breeding grounds, courtship shows start, and pair bonds kind. Pair bonds are often seasonal, though some pairs have been seen overwintering collectively.
Great crested grebes have an elaborate courtship show. It begins with the female and male dealing with one another, necks held up straight, displaying the whites of their necks.
Their ears are vertical, the crest is erected, and the tail is cocked.
They each shake their heads from side to side, alternating between quick and sluggish.
Between shaking bouts, a preening-like habit happens, after which extra shaking with wing lifts.
Generally, this show incorporates an outward wing show, through which the tops of the wings are introduced ahead and the crest is erected.
A diving habit is typically integrated into the show, and sometimes, one hen affords an aquatic weed to the opposite.
One other notable courtship habits are the promoting habits, which have solely been noticed being carried out by the feminine.
It consists of a loud, metallic sounding be aware adopted by a quieter purr-like sound.
They make this sound with the neck elongated, the decrease neck thickened, and the crest flattened. They don’t transfer very a lot whereas making this name.
The aim of these habits is both to draw a mate or to reform a current pair bond.
After pair bonds are fashioned, pairs search for nest websites collectively and proceed to carry out courtship behaviors.
Copulatory habits of Great Crested Grebe, such as mounting each other, could also be carried out far earlier than egg-laying and thus doesn’t result in fertilization.
Many nests may additionally be constructed, probably as a type of courtship habit, earlier than the ultimate one is used to put eggs.
When this nest is chosen, courtship behaviors stop, and true copulation, leading to fertilization, happens.
Great crested grebes breed as soon as people arrive at breeding territories. Pairs can start forming as early as January.
As soon as on the breeding grounds, they’re opportunistic breeders and start their breeding efforts solely as soon as situations are acceptable.
An important issue that determines the beginning of breeding is the quantity of lined habitat obtainable to construct protected nests.
Different components, comparable to climate, water degree, and meals provide additionally decide when breeding begins.
For instance, if water ranges are larger, extra of the encircling vegetation will grow to be flooded.
This gives extra cover for protected nests. Hotter temperatures and ample meals may trigger breeding to start out earlier.
Nests are manufactured from aquatic weeds, reeds, thickets, and kelp fronds. These supplies are woven into current water crops.
The nests are suspended within the water, which protects the clutch from terrestrial predators. They’re inbuilt a couple of hours and are constructed equally by the male and the feminine.
The “true nest,” the place the eggs are laid, rises out of the water and is distinct from the 2 surrounding platforms, one in every of which can be for copulating and the opposite for resting throughout incubation and brooding.
Nests must be accessible from water as a result of grebes are aquatic specialists and can’t journey throughout the land.
The nest dimension is variable; for instance, bigger nests are constructed within the Baltic Sea than in close by lakes.
Clutches vary from 1 to 9 eggs, however common between three and four eggs. Incubation lasts 27 to 29 days and each male and females incubate equally.
Incubation begins after the primary egg is laid, which makes embryo improvement and hatching asynchronous.
This causes a sibling hierarchy as soon as the chicks hatch. The nest is deserted as soon as the final chick has hatched and generally viable eggs are deserted.
Brood sizes are often 1 to four chicks. This quantity differs from the clutch dimension due to sibling competitors, unhealthy climate, or egg desertion.
There’s often solely a single brood, though some pairs double brood and as much as 5 nestings make an attempt could also be made if nests are unsuccessful. Younger fledge at 71 to 79 days.
Parents each incubate eggs and brood and care for his or her younger. As soon as the chicks go away from the nest, the dad and mom take turns carrying younger on their again out into the water for as much as three weeks.
The dad and mom nonetheless guard the chicks within the 4th week. After the chicks get larger, the brood divides, and the female and male each select chicks, which they solely feed and take care of.
These kinds of two household sub-groups, which not affiliate and are someday hostile towards one another.
Throughout the sub-group, there may be one chick favored by the guardian, who will get fed extra usually. The chicks stick with their dad and mom for 11 to 16 weeks.
Great crested grebe Lifespan/Longevity
There is not any knowledge of the typical lifespan or longevity of great crested grebes.
The oldest identified hen was a minimum of 11 years, 10 months, and 5 days outdated. It was banded as a grownup in Britain and located once more shortly after death.
Ecosystem Roles
Great crested grebes are predators to massive fish, comparable to roaches (Rutilus rutilus) and perch (Perca fluviatilis), small fish, comparable to smelt (Osmerus eperlanus), bugs, crustaceans, mollusks, grownup, and larval amphibians, and invertebrate larvae.
Financial Significance
Great crested grebes had been hunted for meals in New Zealand. Their breast plumage and head plumes had been additionally used for adornment on clothes throughout Victorian occasions in Britain.
This, nevertheless, tremendously threatened the species and a bunch of girls fashioned the ‘Fur, Fin and Feather Folks’ in 1889 who had been in opposition to killing birds for clothes.
Great Crested Grebe Conservation
Great crested grebes had been traditionally hunted for meals in New Zealand and for plumage in Britain.
They’re not threatened by looking, however could also be threatened by human impacts together with the modification of lakes, city improvement, launched rivals, launched predators, fishing nets, oil spills, and avian influenza.
Nevertheless, they presently have a conservation standing of least concern based on the IUCN.
Other Recommended Articles
- Flight Adaptation in Birds – Survival for Avis
- Bald Eagle Adaptations – How Do Bald Eagles Survive
- Eagle Adaptations – How do Eagles Survive?
- Bird Beaks Adaptations – How Do Birds Survive
- Parrot Adaptations – How Do Parrots Survive?
- Barn Owl Adaptations – How Do Barn Owls Survive?
- Macaw Adaptations – How Do Macaws Survive?
- Scarlet Macaw Adaptations – How Do They Survive?
- Trumpeter Swan Adaptations – How Do They Survive?
- Ostrich Adaptations – How Do Ostriches Survive?
- Penguin Physical Adaptations – How do They Survive?
- Different Types of Beaks of Birds
- True Owl Facts – Habitat | Communication | Predator
- Owl Bird Traits, Adaptations, and Surprising Facts
- Cute Owl Description Life-cycle and Living Style
- Caspian Tern Facts – Eggs | Range | Juvenile | Nest
- Common Tern Habitat | Call | Migration | Diet
- Red-legged kittiwake Facts | Description | Range
- Black Tern Bird – Eggs | Range | Distribution
- Baby Owl – Description | Facts | Legs | Care | Sleeping