Black-necked Grebe

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Black-necked Grebe
Podiceps nigricollis nigricollis, breeding plumage
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Podicipediformes Family: Podicipedidae Genus: Podiceps Species: P. nigricollis
Binomial name
Podiceps nigricollis Brehm, 1831

The Black-necked Grebe, Podiceps nigricollis,^[1] is a member of the grebe family of waterbirds. It occurs on every continent except Australia and Antarctica.

Contents 1 Description and range 2 Ecology 3 Footnotes 4 References 5 External links

[edit] Description and range

The Black-necked Grebe is 28–34 cm (12"-14") long. The adult is unmistakable in summer with a black head and neck and yellow ear tufts. In winter, this small grebe is white with a poorly defined black cap, which distinguishes it from the crisper-looking Slavonian Grebe (Horned Grebe in America).

In courtship the male gives a mellow poo-ee-chk call to the female.

This species breeds in vegetated areas of freshwater lakes across Europe, Asia, Africa, northern South America and the southwest and western United States. The North American subspecies, P. n. californicus is known as the Eared Grebe (or "eared diver"). These birds migrate in winter, mostly to the Pacific Coast where they range south to El Salvador on a regular basis; vagrants may occur as far as Costa Rica.^[2]

Black-necked Grebes of the nominate subspecies P. n. nigricollis in the cooler temperate regions of the Old World also winter further south, with many European birds moving to the Mediterranean area. The isolated southern African race, P. n. gurneyi is sedentary. It was named by South African ornithologist and author Austin Roberts in honour of the English bankers and amateur ornithologists John Henry Gurney and John Henry Gurney Jr..

Eared Grebe in non-breeding plumage

The similar Horned Grebe in non-breeding plumage for comparison

[edit] Ecology

The Black-necked Grebe is an excellent swimmer and diver, and pursues its prey underwater, eating mostly fish as well as aquatic insects and larvae. It prefers to escape danger by diving rather than flying, although it can easily rise from the water.

Like all grebes, the Black-necked Grebe 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.

[edit] Footnotes

1. ^ Etymology: Podiceps, Latin from podicis ("rump") + pes^{[verification needed]} ("foot"), referring to the placement of the legs on its body. nigricollis, Latin for "black-necked", from niger ("dark"/"black") and collum ("neck").
2. ^ Herrera et al. (2006)

[edit] References

• BirdLife International (2004). Podiceps nigricollis. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 9 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
• Herrera, Néstor; Rivera, Roberto; Ibarra Portillo, Ricardo & Rodríguez, Wilfredo (2006): Nuevos registros para la avifauna de El Salvador. ["New records for the avifauna of El Salvador"]. Boletín de la Sociedad Antioqueña de Ornitología 16(2): 1-19. [Spanish with English abstract] PDF fulltext
• Ogilvie, Malcolm Alexander & Rose, Chris (2003): Grebes of the World. B. Coleman, Uxbridge. ISBN 1-872842-03-8

[edit] External links

• BTO BirdFacts - Black-necked Grebe
• Eared Grebe - Cornell Lab of Ornithology
• Eared Grebe - eNature.com
• Eared Grebe Information and Photos - South Dakota Birds
• Eared Grebe - USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter