red necked grebe

The red-necked grebe is a medium-large grebe, smaller than the great crested grebe of Eurasia, and the western and Clark's grebes of North America, but noticeably larger than other northern grebe species. The adult of the nominate European subspecies is 40–50 cm (16–20 in) long with a 77–85 cm (30–33 in) average wingspan, and weighs 692–925 g (24.4–32.6 oz). In breeding plumage, it has a black cap that extends below the eye, very pale grey cheeks and throat, a rusty red neck, dark grey back and flanks, and white underparts. The eyes are dark brown and the long, pointed bill is black with a yellow base. The winter plumage of the red-necked grebe is duskier than that of other grebes its dark grey cap is less defined, and merges into the grey face, and a pale crescent that curves around the rear of the face contrasts with the rest of the head. The front of the neck is whitish or light grey, the hind neck is darker grey, and the yellow of the bill is less obvious than in summer. Although the red-necked grebe is unmistakable in breeding plumage, it is less distinctive in winter and can be confused with similar species. It is larger than the Slavonian (horned) grebe, with a relatively larger bill and a grey, rather than white face. It is closer in size to the Eurasian great crested grebe, but that species is longer-necked, has a more contrasting head pattern, and always shows white above the eye. The sexes are similar in appearance, although the male averages heavier than the female. Chicks have a striped head and breast, and older juveniles have a striped face, diffuse blackish cap, pale red neck and extensive yellow on the bill.

All populations are migratory and winter mainly at sea, usually in estuaries and bays, but often well offshore where fish are within diving reach near shallow banks or islands. The preferred passage and wintering habitat is water less than 15 m (49 ft) deep with a sand or gravel bottom, scattered rocks and patches of seaweed. During winter, birds typically feed alone and rarely aggregate into flocks, but on migration, concentrations of over 2000 individuals may occur at favoured staging sites. Migration is usually at night, but may occur during the day, especially when over water.

the red-necked grebe feeds mainly on invertebrates including adult and larval aquatic insects, such as water beetles and dragonfly larvae, crayfish and molluscs. Fish (such as smelt) may be important locally or seasonally, especially for the American subspecies, and crustaceans can constitute up to 20% of the grebe's diet. Birds breeding at the coast often make foraging flights to inland lakes or offshore areas to feed.

The Red-necked Grebe is very vocal on the breeding grounds, and has wide repertoire including loud, repeated, wailing howl "uoooh, uoooh, uoooh" often ending in a harsh braying "whaa-whaa-whaa-chiterrrrrrr" reminiscent of Water Rail.
This call is given in territory defence. The alarm call is a harsh "cherk" sometimes repeated at varying intervals.

The red-necked grebe (Podiceps grisegena) is a migratory aquatic bird found in the temperate regions of the northern hemisphere. Its wintering habitat is largely restricted to calm waters just beyond the waves around ocean coasts although some birds may winter on large lakes. Grebes prefer shallow bodies of fresh water such as lakes marshes or fish-ponds as breeding sites. The red-necked grebe is a nondescript dusky-grey bird in winter. During the breeding season it acquires the distinctive red neck plumage black cap and contrasting pale grey face from which its name was derived. It also has an elaborate courtship display and a variety of loud mating calls. Once paired it builds a nest from water plants on top of floating vegetation in a shallow lake or bog. Like all grebes the Red-necked is a good swimmer a particularly swift diver and responds to danger by diving rather than flying. The feet are positioned far back on the body near the tail which makes the bird ungainly on land. It dives for fish or picks insects off vegetation it also swallows its own feathers possibly to protect the digestive system. The conservation status of its two subspecies&mdashP. g. grisegena found in Europe and western Asia and the larger P. g. holboelii (formerly Holb&oeligll grebe) in North America and eastern Siberia is evaluated as Least Concern and the global population is stable or growing. Breeding takes place in shallow freshwater lakes bays of larger lakes marshes and other inland bodies of water often less than 3 ha (7.4 acres) in extent and less than 2 m (6.6 ft) deep. The red-necked grebe shows a preference for waters in forested areas or further north in shrub tundra and favours sites with abundant emergent vegetation such as reedbeds. The best breeding habitat is fish-ponds which have an abundance of food in addition to meeting the other requirements. The American subspecies is less tied to a high aquatic plant density and sometimes breeds on quite open lakes.