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Encyclopedia > Great Crested Grebe
Great Crested Grebe

Conservation status
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Podicipediformes
Family: Podicipedidae
Genus: Podiceps
Species: P. cristatus
Binomial name
Podiceps cristatus
Linnaeus, 1758

The Great Crested Grebe, Podiceps cristatus is a member of the grebe family of water birds. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The conservation status of a species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species continuing to survive either in the present day or the future. ... Image File history File links Status_iucn3. ... Least Concern (LC) is an IUCN category assigned to extant species or lower taxa which have been evaluated but do not qualify for any other category. ... Scientific classification or biological classification is a method by which biologists group and categorize species of organisms. ... For other uses, see Animal (disambiguation). ... Typical Classes See below Chordates (phylum Chordata) are a group of animals that includes the vertebrates, together with several closely related invertebrates. ... “Aves” redirects here. ... Genera Podiceps Tachybaptus Podilymbus Aechmophorus Poliocephalus Rollandia Grebes are members of the Podicipediformes order, a widely distributed order of freshwater diving birds, some of which visit the sea when migrating and in winter. ... Genera Podiceps Tachybaptus Podilymbus Aechmophorus Poliocephalus Rollandia Grebes are members of the Podicipediformes, a widely distributed order of freshwater diving birds, some of which visit the sea when migrating and in winter. ... Species See text Podiceps is a genus of birds in the grebe family. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Carl Linnaeus, Latinized as Carolus Linnaeus, also known after his ennoblement as  , (May 23, 1707[1] – January 10, 1778), was a Swedish botanist, physician and zoologist[2] who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of nomenclature. ... Genera Podiceps Tachybaptus Podilymbus Aechmophorus Poliocephalus Rollandia Grebes are members of the Podicipediformes order, a widely distributed order of freshwater diving birds, some of which visit the sea when migrating and in winter. ...

Contents

Description

The Great Crested Grebe is 46-51 cm long with a 59-73 cm wingspan. 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. It is the largest European grebe.
The young are remarkable because their heads are striped black and white, much like zebras. They lose these markings when they become adults.


Distribution

The Great Crested Grebe breeds in vegetated areas of freshwater lakes. The subspecies P. c. cristatus is found across Europe and Asia. It is resident in the milder west of its range, but migrates from the colder regions. It winters on freshwater lakes and reservoirs or the coast. The African subspecies P. c. infuscatus and the Australasian subspecies P. c. australis are mainly sedentary. World map showing the location of Europe. ... World map showing the location of Asia. ... Flock of Barnacle Geese during autumn migration Bird migration refers to the regular seasonal journeys of varying distances undertaken by many species of birds. ... A world map showing the continent of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. ... Australasia Australasia is a term variably used to describe a region of Oceania: Australia, New Zealand, and neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. ...


Behaviour

The Great Crested Grebe has an elaborate mating display. Like all grebes, it nests on the water's edge, since its legs are set very far back and it cannot walk well. Usually two eggs are laid, and the striped young are sometimes carried on the adult's back. Young grebes are capable of swimming and diving almost at hatching. The Crested Grebe feeds mainly on fish, but also little crustaceans, insects and little frogs. In most birds and reptiles, an egg (Latin ovum) is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum. ... Classes & Subclasses Branchiopoda Phyllopoda Sarsostraca Remipedia Cephalocarida Maxillopoda Thecostraca Tantulocarida Branchiura Pentastomida Mystacocarida Copepoda Ostracoda Myodocopa Podocopa Malacostraca Phyllocarida Hoplocarida Eumalacostraca The nauplius larva of a dendrobranchiate Porcellio scaber, the common rough woodlouse, a terrestrial crustacean Pollicipes polymerus, the gooseneck barnacle Glyphea pseudastacus, a fossil glypheoid The crustaceans (Crustacea) are... Insects (Class Insecta) are a major group of arthropods and the most diverse group of animals on the Earth, with over a million described species—more than all other animal groups combined. ...


This species was hunted almost to extinction in the United Kingdom in the 19th century for its head plumes, which were used to decorate hats. The RSPB was set up to help protect this species, which is again common. The Dodo, shown here in a 1651 illustration by Jan Savery, is an often-cited[1] example of modern extinction. ... The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is Europes largest wildlife conservation charity. ...




Gallery

Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...

References

  • BirdLife International (2004). Podiceps cristatus. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 12 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (also known as the IUCN Red List and Red Data List), created in 1963, is the worlds most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of plant and animal species and can be found here. ... The World Conservation Union or International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) is an international organization dedicated to natural resource conservation. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
  • BirdLife Species Factsheet
  • IUCN Red List

  Results from FactBites:
 
Great-crested Grebes (302 words)
Grebes were hunted almost to extinction in Britain when their plumage became a fashion accessory for Victorian women.
Grebes were still in the process of making a recovery in the late 1960s when I joined our local naturalists' society.
I later produced a grebe anorak badge for the society which, luckily, that was about it as far as my career as a fashion designer went.
Great Crested Grebe, Podiceps cristatus (468 words)
In the summer of 1992, and apparently for the first time, two pairs of splendid great crested grebes successfully bred on the river in the city centre rearing broods of young.
Parent grebes assist the young to climb aboard by placing a foot along the surface of the water.
It is difficult to appreciate that the highly ornamental great crested grebe was at one time in danger of extinction in Norfolk.
  More results at FactBites »


 

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