great crested grebe
{{Short description|Species of bird}}
{{Speciesbox
| name = Great crested grebe
| image = Great crested grebe swimming 2022-02-27.jpg
| image_caption = P. c. cristatus in Villepinte, France
| image2 = Great Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus) (W1CDR0001488 BD4).ogg
| image2_caption = Call of P. c. cristatus recorded in Surrey, England
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| genus = Podiceps
| species = cristatus
| authority = (Linnaeus, 1758)
| range_map = PodicepsCristatusIUCN2019-2.png
| range_map_caption = Range of P. cristatus
{{leftlegend|#00FF00|Breeding|outline=gray}}
{{leftlegend|#008000|Resident|outline=gray}}
{{leftlegend|#007FFF|Non-breeding|outline=gray}}
| synonyms = Colymbus cristatus {{small|Linnaeus, 1758}}
}}
The great crested grebe (Podiceps cristatus) is a member of the grebe family of water birds. The bird is characterised by its distinctive appearance, featuring striking black, orange-brown, and white plumage, and elaborate courtship display that involves synchronised dances and displays.
Taxonomy
The great crested grebe was formally described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae under the binomial name Colymbus cristatus.{{cite book | last=Linnaeus | first=Carl | author-link=Carl Linnaeus | year=1758 | title= Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis | volume=1 | edition=10th | page=135 | publisher=Laurentii Salvii | place=Holmiae (Stockholm) | language=Latin | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/727040 }} It is now the type species of the genus Podiceps that was erected by the English naturalist John Latham in 1787.{{ cite book | last=Latham| first= John | author-link=John Latham (ornithologist) | year=1787 | title=Supplement to the General Synopsis of Birds | publisher=Leigh & Sotheby | place=London | page=294 | url=https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/33046893 }}{{cite web| editor1-last=Gill | editor1-first=Frank | editor1-link=Frank Gill (ornithologist) | editor2-last=Donsker | editor2-first=David | editor3-last=Rasmussen | editor3-first=Pamela | editor3-link=Pamela Rasmussen | date=January 2021 | title=Grebes, flamingos | work=IOC World Bird List Version 11.1 | url=https://www.worldbirdnames.org/new/bow/grebes/ | publisher=International Ornithologists' Union | access-date=12 April 2021 }}{{cite book | editor1-last=Mayr | editor1-first=Ernst | editor1-link=Ernst Mayr | editor2-last=Cottrell | editor2-first=G. William | year=1979 | title=Check-list of Birds of the World | volume=1 | edition=2nd | publisher=Museum of Comparative Zoology | place=Cambridge, Massachusetts | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/16108788 }}{{rp|148}} The type locality is Sweden.{{rp|151}} The scientific name comes from Latin: the genus name Podiceps is from {{lang|la|podicis}}, "vent" and {{lang|la|pes}}, "foot", and is a reference to the placement of a grebe's legs towards the rear of its body; the specific name, cristatus, means "crested".{{cite book | last= Jobling | first= James A. | year= 2010| title= The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names | url= https://archive.org/details/Helm_Dictionary_of_Scientific_Bird_Names_by_James_A._Jobling | publisher=Christopher Helm | location = London | isbn = 978-1-4081-2501-4 | pages=[https://archive.org/details/Helm_Dictionary_of_Scientific_Bird_Names_by_James_A._Jobling/page/n122 122], 341}}
=Subspecies=
Three subspecies are currently accepted:
| class="wikitable " | ||||
| Summer | Winter | Scientific name | Distribution | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 120px Aiguamolls de l'Empordà, Catalonia, Spain | 120px Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan | P. c. cristatus (Linnaeus, 1758) | Eurasia, from Ireland and Portugal east to Japan, and northernmost Africa | Nominate subspecies. |
| 120px Bloubergstrand, Cape Town, South Africa | 120px Paardevlei, Cape Town, South Africa | P. c. infuscatus Salvadori, 1884 | Eastern and southern Africa from Ethiopia to South Africa; resident | Reduced or no white in front of eye compared to nominate subspecies. |
| 120px Penrith, New South Wales, Australia | 120px Colac, Victoria, Australia | P. c. australis Gould, 1844 | Australia, Tasmania, South Island of New Zealand; resident or nomadic with water availability | Similar to nominate subspecies in plumage but slightly darker. Known as Australasian crested grebe and, in Māori, {{lang|mi|pūteketeke}}. |
Description
File:Great crested grebe (Podiceps cristatus) in the wild.webm
The great crested grebe is the largest species of grebe in the Old World, though some larger species occur in the Americas. They measure {{convert|46|–|51|cm|in|abbr=on}} long with a {{convert|59|–|73|cm|in|abbr=on}} wingspan and weigh {{convert|0.9|to|1.5|kg|lb|abbr=on}}. 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. Birds resident in warmer tropical and subtropical regions (particularly in subspecies P. c. infuscatus and P. c. australis) such as Kenya and parts of Australia retain breeding plumage all or almost all of the year, with reduced or no winter plumage.{{cite book | editor1-last=Cramp | editor1-first=Stanley | editor1-link=Stanley Cramp | year=1977 | chapter=Podiceps cristatus Great Crested Grebe | title=Handbook of the Birds of Europe the Middle East and North Africa: The Birds of the Western Palearctic | volume= I: Ostrich to Ducks | place=Oxford | publisher=Oxford University Press | isbn=978-0-19-857358-6 | pages=78–89 }}{{rp|89}}{{cite book |last1=Zimmerman |first1=Dale A. |last2=Pearson |first2=David J. |last3=Turner |first3=Donald A. |title=Birds of Kenya and Northern Tanzania |date=2001 |publisher=Christopher Helm |location=London |page=269 |edition=Revised reprint}}
The call is a loud barking rah-rah-rah. They can also produce a clicking kek call, and deep growls.{{Cite web |title=Great-crested Grebe |url=https://www.oiseaux-birds.com/card-great-crested-grebe.html |access-date=2023-05-21 |website=Oiseaux-birds.com}}
The chicks, like most grebe chicks, have boldly striped heads, with alternating black and white stripes; they are often colloquially called "humbugs" from their resemblance to humbug sweets.{{cite web | title=Great Crested Grebe with Chicks AKA Humbugs! | website=John Mallaney | date=2021-05-03 | url=https://johnmallaney.com/2021/05/03/great-crested-grebe-with-chicks-aka-humbugs/ | access-date=2024-11-02}}{{cite web | last=Irwin | first=Stephen | last2=Officer | first2=Education | last3=Museum | first3=Blackburn | last4=Gallery | first4=Art | title=Blackburn Museum | website=Blackburn Museum | date=2020-09-12 | url=https://blackburnmuseum.org.uk/blog/spot-the-birdy-4-the-great-crested-grebe-by-stephen-irwin/ | access-date=2024-11-02}} They lose these markings as they mature during their first winter.
Distribution
The great crested grebe breeds in vegetated areas of freshwater lakes. The subspecies P. c. cristatus is found across Europe and east across the Palearctic. 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.
Behaviour
=Breeding=
The great crested grebe has an elaborate mating display. Like all grebes, it nests on the water's edge. The nest is built by both sexes. The clutch averages four chalky-white eggs which average {{cvt|54|x|37|mm}} in size and {{cvt|42|g}} in weight. Incubation is by both parents and begins as soon as the first egg is laid. The eggs hatch asynchronously after 27 to 29 days. The precocial young are cared for and fed by both parents.{{rp|87-88}}
Young grebes are capable of swimming and diving almost at hatching. The adults teach these skills to their young by carrying them on their back and diving, leaving the chicks to float on the surface; they then re-emerge a few feet away so that the chicks may swim back onto them.
=Feeding=
The great crested grebe feeds mainly on fish, but also small crustaceans, insects, small frogs and newts.{{rp|82}}
Relationship to humans
File:Kauvatsa.vaakuna.svg, Finland]]
This species was hunted almost to extinction in the United Kingdom in the 19th century for its head plumes, which were used to decorate ladies' hats and garments. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds was set up to help protect this species, which is again a common sight.{{ cite book | last1=Cocker | first1=Mark | last2=Mabey | first2=Richard | year=2005 | title=Birds Britannica | place=London | publisher=Chatto & Windus| pages=6–7 | isbn=978-0-7011-6907-7 }}
The great crested grebe and its behaviour was the subject of one of the landmark publications in avian ethology, Julian Huxley's 1914 paper on "The Courtship‐habits of the Great Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus)".
Conservation efforts have been taking place on New Zealand's Lake Wānaka since 2013.{{Cite web |date=2023-11-15 |title=Bird of the Century: What you need to know about pūteketeke |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/502479/bird-of-the-century-what-you-need-to-know-about-puteketeke |access-date=2023-11-25 |website=RNZ }}{{Cite web |date=5 February 2015 |title=Lake Wanaka grebes thrive with a bit of help |url=https://www.doc.govt.nz/news/media-releases/2015/lake-wanaka-grebes-thrive-with-a-bit-of-help/ |access-date=2023-11-25 |website=Department of Conservation |publisher=New Zealand Government}}
In November 2023, the comedian John Oliver highlighted New Zealand's Bird of the Year campaign in a Last Week Tonight episode and declared himself the "campaign manager" for the bird, which is also known in New Zealand by its Māori name {{lang|mi|pūteketeke}}.{{Cite news |last=Solomon |first=Serena |date=2023-11-07 |title=John Oliver backs 'weird, puking' pūteketeke as he takes New Zealand's bird of century poll global |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/nov/07/john-oliver-backs-weird-puking-puteketeke-as-he-takes-new-zealands-bird-of-century-poll-global |access-date=2023-11-07 |issn=0261-3077}}{{cite news |title=Pūteketeke wins Bird of the Century following John Oliver intervention |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/bird-of-the-century-winner-did-john-olivers-favoured-puteketeke-claim-the-win/INOIM3AC5FGRPJMMSPBH5AIRVQ/ |access-date=15 November 2023 |work=The New Zealand Herald |date=15 November 2023}} The bird was announced as the winner of the competition with the alliteration "Pūteketeke pandemonium prevails".{{Cite web |date=2023-11-15 |title=Bird of the Century winner announced: Pūteketeke pandemonium prevails|website=Forest & Bird|url=https://www.forestandbird.org.nz/resources/bird-century-winner-announced-puteketeke-pandemonium-prevails |access-date=2023-11-14 }}
Gallery
File:Молодая чомга (Podiceps cristatus), Коломенское.jpg|First-winter in autumn with traces of juvenile stripes remaining; Moscow
File:Great Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus) (14).JPG|Juvenile with adult
File:Podiceps cristatus juv.jpg|Head of juvenile with characteristic 'humbug' stripes
File:Podiceps cristatus -Hogganfield Loch, Glasgow, Scotland -adult feeding chick-8 (2).jpg|Adult ready to feed its young in Scotland
File:Great crested grebes (podiceps cristatus).jpg|Mating ritual, Otmoor, Oxfordshire
File:Great crested grebe (podiceps cristatus).jpg|Male displaying during mating ritual, Otmoor, Oxfordshire
File:Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus courtship display by Raju Kasambe 21.JPG|Great crested grebe courtship display at Hyde Park, London
File:Podiceps cristatus 1 2013.jpg|Podiceps cristatus with nest and eggs, Sweden 2013
File:Podiceps cristatus 2 2013.jpg|Podiceps cristatus family at nest, Sweden 2013
File:Podiceps Cristatus 2015-5786.jpg|Podiceps cristatus, Sweden 2015
File:Podiceps cristatus MWNH 0106.JPG|Eggs from the collection of the Museum Wiesbaden, Germany
File:Podiceps cristatus MHNT.ZOO.2010.11.38.1.jpg |Eggs from the MHNT museum collection
References
{{Reflist|30em|refs=
{{cite web |url=http://www.arkive.org/great-crested-grebe/podiceps-cristatus/#text=Facts |title=Great crested grebe videos, photos and facts – Podiceps cristatus |publisher=ARKive |access-date=27 June 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120823145839/http://www.arkive.org/great-crested-grebe/podiceps-cristatus/#text=Facts#text=Facts |archive-date=2012-08-23 |url-status=dead }}
{{Cite book |last=Burkhardt Jr |first=R.W. |year=1992 |chapter=Huxley and the Rise of Ethology |title=Julian Huxley: Biologist and Statesman of Science |publisher=Rice University Press |location=Houston, Texas |pages=127–149}}
{{cite book |editor-last1=Burnie |editor-first1=D. |editor-last2=Wilson |editor-first2=D.E. |title=Animal: The Definitive Visual Guide to the World's Wildlife |publisher=DK Adult |year=2005 |isbn=0789477645}}
{{cite journal |last=Huxley |first=J. S. |date=1914 |title=The courtship-habits of the Great Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus); with an addition to the theory of sexual selection |journal=Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London |volume=84 |number=3 |pages=491–562 | doi=10.1111/j.1469-7998.1914.tb07052.x|url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/31855761 }}
}}
External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20141202062008/http://aulaenred.ibercaja.es/wp-content/uploads/06_GreatCrestedGrebePcristatus.pdf Ageing and sexing (PDF) by Javier Blasco-Zumeta & Gerd-Michael Heinze]
- {{EBirdSpecies|grcgre1|Great Crested Grebe}}
- [http://sabap2.adu.org.za/docs/sabap1/006.pdf Great Crested Grebe Species], The Atlas of Southern African Birds
- {{field guide birds of the world|Podiceps cristatus}}
- {{Avibase|name=Podiceps cristatus}}
- [http://blx1.bto.org/birdfacts/results/bob90.htm Great-crested Grebe] at BTO.org
- {{BirdLife|22696602|Podiceps cristatus}}
- {{VIREO|Great+Crested+Grebe}}
- {{Xeno-canto species|Podiceps|cristatus|Great crested grebe}}
{{Grebes}}
{{Portal bar|Birds|Animals|Biology}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q25422}}
{{Authority control}}