The Four Keys to ID
- Size & Shape
A thickset waterbird, similar in size to many ducks, but with a longer neck and a heavy, pointed bill.
Relative Size
Almost as large as a Mallard; intermediate between Horned Grebe and Western Grebe.
crow-sizedMeasurements
- Both Sexes
- Length: 16.9-22.1 in (43-56 cm)
- Weight: 28.2-56.4 oz (800-1600 g)
- Wingspan: 24.0-34.6 in (61-88 cm)
© Brian Sullivan / Macaulay Library
- Color Pattern
Nonbreeding birds are mostly dark gray above, paler below, with pale cheeks and sides of neck. Breeding adults have a rusty red breast and foreneck, with a smart black cap and sharply defined white cheek. Immatures are similar to nonbreeding adults but head pattern is less distinct.
© Richard Poort / Macaulay Library - Behavior
In the nonbreeding season, generally quiet and found singly or in small, loose groups. During the nesting season, pairs perform elaborate, noisy courtship rituals and aggressively defend territories, even against other species of waterfowl.
- Habitat
Numerous aquatic habitats during migration and the nonbreeding season, from rivers to lakes, bays to open ocean; nesting birds select mostly larger lakes.
© Louise Auclair / Macaulay Library
Regional Differences
North American (and eastern Asian) nesters are of subspecies holboellii, sometimes called Holboell’s Grebe, which has a yellower bill and paler back, cheeks, and neck than the smaller western Eurasian birds (subspecies grisegena).
