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Great Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus)

This is the largest of the European grebes, with the lengthiest neck and the longest, most dagger-like bill. Such a design is the mark of a confirmed fish-eater, and indeed Great Crested Grebes, in contrast to other grebes, catch many more fish than invertebrates. They take a wide range, too, from 3cm long sticklebacks to eels exceeding 20cm. The Great Crested Grebe always requires plenty of open water for its underwater chases, so this limits it to less waterweed-clogged lakes than those beloved by other grebes. Often just a little fringing vegetation is enough – and that as an anchor for the nest.

Great Crested Grebes

Great Crested Grebes head-shaking, Wiltshire, UK (David Kjaer, davidkjaer.com)

Being open-water birds, Great Crested Grebes are easy to observe, and their spectacular water-courtship formed the subject of one of the earliest in-depth studies of bird behaviour. The most common manoeuvre is “Head-Shaking” (left), in which the members of a pair face each other and shake their heads from side to side; this may be interrupted by a quick ceremonial “Habit-Preen,” in which the birds may shape as if to preen the feathers on their back, but merely ruffle them. Such motions may lead into more elaborate displays such as the Weed Ceremony, in which both sexes dive for weed, then swim rapidly towards each other and meet breast-to-breast, rearing up out of the water and shaking their heads from side to side, still holding the weed (below).

Great Crested Grebe Weed Ceremony

Great Crested Grebes, climax of Weed Ceremony, Wilsthire, UK (Dave Kjaer)

The Great Crested Grebe has a remarkably long breeding season, with eggs recorded as early as February and young sometimes seen as late as October. At least one nest is built, although subsidiary platforms may be constructed for other purposes, including copulation. The young, stripy in pattern like old-time convicts, are perfectly able to swim as soon as they hatch, but for safety and warmth will preferentially cling to either parent’s back, fitting in between the wings. They might even hold on like this during an adult’s dive.

Although newly-hatched young will often be fed by one parent while resting on the other’s back, a feature of later parenting is not teamwork but “brood-splitting”, in which each parent takes sole custody of its allotted part of the brood, ignoring the others. But occasionally older chicks from an earlier brood will also join in the feeding of young, aiding the efforts of either parent.

Great Crested Grebes with young

Great Crested Grebes with young, Wiltshire, UK (Dave Kjaer)