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Red-necked Grebe (Podiceps grisegena)

Although the Red-necked Grebe is quite a large species with a powerful, dagger-like bill, it is much less of a fish-eater than the Great Crested, or even the Slavonian Grebe. Instead, at least in the breeding season, it usually makes do with feeding on aquatic invertebrates and their larvae. These it obtains in shallow dives, usually going no further than a modest 2m underwater.

More retiring and secretive than most other grebes, the Red-necked often conceals its floating nest deep in the vegetation, and keeps a low profile throughout the season. Sometimes, though, it will build instead among colonies of gulls, benefiting from its hosts’ aggression to potential predators.

In spring and summer the Red-necked Grebe performs eye-catching courtship displays on the water, including the “Penguin Dance”, in which the partners rear up breast to breast and may fence each other with their bills. But what sets it apart from other grebes in the breeding season is its extraordinary vociferousness. Red-necked Grebes howl and wail their way through each of their displays, and vocalise in many other situations, too, day and night. Some call sequences continue for 60 consecutive notes, far longer than for other grebes.