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Red-necked Grebe

Podiceps grisegenaOrder: PODICIPEDIFORMES Family: Grebes (Podicipedidae)
Codes: Common Name: RNGR Scientific Name: PODGRI ITIS Taxonomic No.: 174479
Least Concern
 
Red-necked Grebe
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Overview

Red-necked Grebe: Large grebe with dark gray upperparts and cap, white underparts with gray flanks. Lower face and nape are white; neck is red-brown. Eyes are dark brown. Long thick yellow bill with dark tip. Black legs, feet. Dives for small fish and crustaceans. Direct flight on rapid wing beats.

Range and Habitat

Red-necked Grebe: Breeds from Alaska and northern Canada south to Oregon, Idaho, Ontario, and southern Minnesota; rarely east to southern Quebec. Spends winters south along coasts to southern California and Georgia, and rarely to Florida. Summer habitats include ponds and lakes; found on large lakes, coastal bays, and estuaries during winter and migration.

Topo Map: Upright-perching Water-like Body


Listen to Call

Voice Text

"crick-crick"

Interesting Facts

 The Red-necked Grebe ingests large quantities of its own feathers. Feathers remain in the bird's stomach. The function of feathers in the stomach is unknown. It also feeds them to its young.

 Boldly marked, vocal, and aggressive during the breeding season, it is quiet and subtly attired in winter.

 It takes a long-running "taxi" in order for this small-legged and small-winged bird to take off, so it rarely flies outside of migration.

 A group of grebes are collectively known as a "water dance" of grebes.


Bird Term Glossary



Author

Gary Owen Dick

Artist

Yury Lisyak

Splitbar
Range Map for Red-necked Grebe

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Family Grebe (Podicipedidae)_blue
Species Podiceps grisegena
Length17 - 19 Inches
Wingspan31 Inches

Red-necked Grebe

Red-necked Grebe: Large grebe with dark gray upperparts and cap, white underparts with gray flanks. Lower face and nape are white; neck is red-brown. Eyes are dark brown. Long thick yellow bill with dark tip. Black legs, feet. Dives for small fish and crustaceans. Direct flight on rapid wing beats.

● Song: "crick-crick"

● Foraging & Feeding: Red-necked Grebe: Eats small fish, crayfish, aquatic insects, tadpoles, salamanders, and aquatic plants; forages by diving from the water surface.

● Breeding & nesting: Red-necked Grebe: Two to six light blue or pale buff eggs are laid on a floating nest made of dead reeds and grass; rarely nests in colonies. Incubation ranges from 20 to 23 days and is carried out by both parents.

● Similar species: Red-necked Grebe: Horned and Eared grebes are smaller with much shorter bills that are never yellow at the base.

Flight Pattern

Direct flight with rapid wing beats.
Red-necked Grebe Body Illustration
● Range & Habitat: Red-necked Grebe: Breeds from Alaska and northern Canada south to Oregon, Idaho, Ontario, and southern Minnesota; rarely east to southern Quebec. Spends winters south along coasts to southern California and Georgia, and rarely to Florida. Summer habitats include ponds and lakes; found on large lakes, coastal bays, and estuaries during winter and migration.
BreedingMonogamous, Solitary nester
PopulationFairly common
MigrationMigratory
Weight36.8 Ounces
Upright-perching Water-like BodyX
UnderpartsX
Belly, undertail coverts, chest, flanks, and foreneck.
UpperpartsX
Back, rump, hindneck, wings, and crown.
CapX
The area on top of the head of the bird.
FaceX
The front part of the head consisting of the bill, eyes, cheeks and chin.
NapeX
Also called the hindneck or collar, it is the back of the neck where the head joins the body.
4 and 6 letter alpha codesX

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

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ITIS CodesX

The Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) was established in the mid-1990�s as a cooperative project among several federal agencies to improve and expand upon taxonomic data (known as the NODC Taxonomic Code) maintained by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

To find the ITIS page for a bird species go to the ITIS web site advanced search and report page at http://www.itis.gov/advanced_search.html. You can enter the TSN or the common name of the bird. It will return the ITIS page for that bird. Another way to obtain the ITIS page is to use the Google search engine. Enter the string ITIS followed by the taxonomic ID, for example "ITIS 178041" will return the page for the Allen's Hummingbird.

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Parts of a Standing birdX
Head Feathers and MarkingsX
Parts of a Flying birdX