Species guide
Great Crested Grebe: how to recognise it
A bird seen on most continents. Learn the marks that make it easy to identify, then practise with real photographs in Lore.
Practise with real photosAll species guides
Photo © caroline legg · CC BY · iNaturalist · all photo credits
- Scientific name
- Podiceps cristatus
- Family
- Grebes
- Size
- About 46–51 cm
- Habitat
- Lakes, large ponds and slow rivers
- Found in
- Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania
The key marks
An elegant waterbird with a long white neck, a dark double crest and a chestnut-and-black ruff in summer.
Voice
A barking “rah-rah” and a low croak.
Good to know
Pairs perform a courtship dance holding weed in their bills, and the stripy chicks ride on their parents’ backs.
Where and when
You can expect to find it in lakes, large ponds and slow rivers. It is especially common in the Netherlands and Greece. Distribution changes with the seasons and from year to year, so check a recent local observation source before you go looking.