Wikipedia

Great crested grebe

Thegreat crested grebe(Podiceps cristatus) is a member of thegrebefamily ofwater birds.The bird is characterised by its distinctive appearance, featuring striking black, orange-brown, and white plumage, and elaboratecourtship displaythat involves synchronised dances and displays.

Great crested grebe
P. c. cristatusin Villepinte, France
Call ofP. c. cristatusrecorded inSurrey,England
Scientific classificationEdit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Podicipediformes
Family: Podicipedidae
Genus: Podiceps
Species:
P. cristatus
Binomial name
Podiceps cristatus
Range ofP. cristatus
Breeding
Resident
Non-breeding
Synonyms

Colymbus cristatusLinnaeus, 1758

Taxonomy

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The great crested grebe wasformally describedby the Swedish naturalistCarl Linnaeusin 1758 in thetenth editionof hisSystema Naturaeunder thebinomial nameColymbus cristatus.[2]It is now thetype speciesof the genusPodicepsthat was erected by the English naturalistJohn Lathamin 1787.[3][4][5]: 148 Thetype localityis Sweden.[5]: 151 The scientific name comes fromLatin:the genus namePodicepsis frompodicis,"vent" andpes,"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".[6]

Subspecies

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Threesubspeciesare currently accepted:[4]

Summer Winter Scientific name Distribution Notes

Aiguamolls de l'Empordà,Catalonia,Spain
Nagoya,Aichi Prefecture,Japan		 P. c. cristatus(Linnaeus, 1758) Eurasia, from Ireland and Portugal east to Japan, and northernmost Africa Nominate subspecies.

Bloubergstrand,Cape Town,South Africa
Paardevlei, Cape Town, South Africa		 P. c. infuscatusSalvadori,1884 Eastern and southern Africa fromEthiopiatoSouth Africa;resident[4] Reduced or no white in front of eye compared to nominate subspecies.

Penrith, New South Wales,Australia
Colac, Victoria,Australia		 P. c. australisGould,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, inMāori,pūteketeke.

Description

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Video of bird returning to its nest, Slovakia

The great crested grebe is the largest species of grebe in theOld World,though some larger species occur in the Americas. They measure 46–51 cm (18–20 in) long with a 59–73 cm (23–29 in) wingspan and weigh 0.9 to 1.5 kg (2.0 to 3.3 lb).[7][8]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 subspeciesP. c. infuscatusandP. 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.[9]: 89 [10]

The call is a loud barkingrah-rah-rah.They can also produce a clickingkekcall, and deep growls.[11]

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 tohumbugsweets.[12][13]They lose these markings as they mature during their first winter.

Distribution

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The great crested grebe breeds in vegetated areas of freshwater lakes. The subspeciesP. c. cristatusis found across Europe and east across thePalearctic.It is resident in the milder west of its range, butmigratesfrom the colder regions. It winters on freshwater lakes and reservoirs or the coast. The African subspeciesP. c. infuscatusand theAustralasiansubspeciesP. c. australisare mainly sedentary.

Behaviour

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Breeding

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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. Theclutchaverages four chalky-white eggs which average 54 mm × 37 mm (2.1 in × 1.5 in) in size and 42 g (1.5 oz) 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. Theprecocialyoung are cared for and fed by both parents.[9]: 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

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The great crested grebe feeds mainly on fish, but also smallcrustaceans,insects,smallfrogsandnewts.[9]: 82 

Relationship to humans

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A great crested grebe head in the coat of arms ofKauvatsa,Finland

This species was hunted almost toextinctionin the United Kingdom in the 19th century for its head plumes, which were used to decorate ladies' hats and garments. TheRoyal Society for the Protection of Birdswas set up to help protect this species, which is again a common sight.[14]

The great crested grebe and its behaviour was the subject of one of the landmark publications in avianethology,Julian Huxley's 1914 paper on "The Courtship‐habits of the Great Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus) ".[15][16]

Conservation efforts have been taking place on New Zealand'sLake Wānakasince 2013.[17][18]

In November 2023, the comedianJohn Oliverhighlighted New Zealand'sBird of the Yearcampaign in aLast Week Tonightepisode and declared himself the "campaign manager" for the bird, which is also known in New Zealand by itsMāorinamepūteketeke.[19][20]The bird was announced as the winner of the competition with the alliteration "Pūteketeke pandemonium prevails".[21]

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  • First-winter in autumn with traces of juvenile stripes remaining;Moscow
  • Juvenile with adult
  • Head of juvenile with characteristic 'humbug' stripes
  • Adult ready to feed its young inScotland
  • Mating ritual,Otmoor,Oxfordshire
  • Male displaying during mating ritual,Otmoor,Oxfordshire
  • Great crested grebe courtship display atHyde Park, London
  • Podiceps cristatuswith nest and eggs, Sweden 2013
  • Podiceps cristatusfamily at nest, Sweden 2013
  • Podiceps cristatus,Sweden 2015
  • Eggs from the collection of theMuseum Wiesbaden, Germany
  • Eggs from the MHNT museum collection

References

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  1. ^BirdLife International (2019)."Podiceps cristatus".IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.2019:e.T22696602A154250080.doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-3.RLTS.T22696602A154250080.en.Retrieved11 November2021.
  2. ^Linnaeus, Carl(1758).Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis(in Latin). Vol. 1 (10th ed.). Holmiae (Stockholm): Laurentii Salvii. p. 135.
  3. ^Latham, John(1787).Supplement to the General Synopsis of Birds.London:Leigh & Sotheby.p. 294.
  4. ^abcGill, Frank;Donsker, David;Rasmussen, Pamela,eds. (January 2021)."Grebes, flamingos".IOC World Bird List Version 11.1.International Ornithologists' Union.Retrieved12 April2021.
  5. ^abMayr, Ernst;Cottrell, G. William, eds. (1979).Check-list of Birds of the World.Vol. 1 (2nd ed.). Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology.
  6. ^Jobling, James A. (2010).The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names.London:Christopher Helm.pp.122,341.ISBN978-1-4081-2501-4.
  7. ^"Great crested grebe videos, photos and facts –Podiceps cristatus".ARKive.Archived fromthe originalon 2012-08-23.Retrieved27 June2012.
  8. ^Burnie, D.; Wilson, D.E., eds. (2005).Animal: The Definitive Visual Guide to the World's Wildlife.DK Adult.ISBN0789477645.
  9. ^abcCramp, Stanley,ed. (1977). "Podiceps cristatusGreat Crested Grebe ".Handbook of the Birds of Europe the Middle East and North Africa: The Birds of the Western Palearctic.Vol. I: Ostrich to Ducks. Oxford:Oxford University Press.pp.78–89.ISBN978-0-19-857358-6.
  10. ^Zimmerman, Dale A.; Pearson, David J.; Turner, Donald A. (2001).Birds of Kenya and Northern Tanzania(Revised reprint ed.). London: Christopher Helm. p. 269.
  11. ^"Great-crested Grebe".Oiseaux-birds.Retrieved2023-05-21.
  12. ^"Great Crested Grebe with Chicks AKA Humbugs!".John Mallaney.2021-05-03.Retrieved2024-11-02.
  13. ^Irwin, Stephen; Officer, Education; Museum, Blackburn; Gallery, Art (2020-09-12)."Blackburn Museum".Blackburn Museum.Retrieved2024-11-02.
  14. ^Cocker, Mark; Mabey, Richard (2005).Birds Britannica.London:Chatto & Windus.pp.6–7.ISBN978-0-7011-6907-7.
  15. ^Burkhardt Jr, R.W. (1992). "Huxley and the Rise of Ethology".Julian Huxley: Biologist and Statesman of Science.Houston, Texas:Rice University Press.pp.127–149.
  16. ^Huxley, J. S. (1914)."The courtship-habits of the Great Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus); with an addition to the theory of sexual selection ".Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London.84(3):491–562.doi:10.1111/j.1469-7998.1914.tb07052.x.
  17. ^"Bird of the Century: What you need to know about pūteketeke".RNZ.2023-11-15.Retrieved2023-11-25.
  18. ^"Lake Wanaka grebes thrive with a bit of help".Department of Conservation.New Zealand Government. 5 February 2015.Retrieved2023-11-25.
  19. ^Solomon, Serena (2023-11-07)."John Oliver backs 'weird, puking' pūteketeke as he takes New Zealand's bird of century poll global".The Guardian.ISSN0261-3077.Retrieved2023-11-07.
  20. ^"Pūteketeke wins Bird of the Century following John Oliver intervention".The New Zealand Herald.15 November 2023.Retrieved15 November2023.
  21. ^"Bird of the Century winner announced: Pūteketeke pandemonium prevails".Forest & Bird.2023-11-15.Retrieved2023-11-14.
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