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  • Red-necked grebe

Red-necked grebe

Red-necked grebe (summer plumage)
Red-necked grebe (summer plumage)
Red-necked grebe (winter plumage)
Red-necked grebe (winter plumage)
  • Scientific name: Podiceps grisegena
  • Bird family: Grebes
  • UK conservation status: Red
  • Protected by The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981

Red necked grebe call audio

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Patrik Aberg, xeno-canto

Key information

Like all grebes it is an expert swimmer and diver. In winter plumage it is similar to a great crested grebe but has a thicker neck and a stout dark bill with a yellow base. It has a brown body, a black crown with whitish cheeks and, in summer, a red neck and breast.

Breeding has been suspected in the UK but the potential sites are kept secret and birds given special protection to protect them. Fewer than 20 individuals spend the summer in the UK each year, with numbers increasing slightly in the winter when birds move here from colder Europe.

What they eat:

Fish, crustaceans, aquatic insects.

Measurements:

Length:
40-46 cm
Wingspan:
77-85 cm
Weight:
700-900 g

Population:

UK breeding is the number of pairs breeding annually. UK wintering is the number of individuals present from October to March. UK passage is the number of individuals passing through on migration in spring and/or autumn.
UK breeding:
1 pair
UK wintering:
50 individuals

Identifying features:

This bird species has different identifying features depending on sex/age/season.

Red-necked grebe (summer plumage)

Red necked grebe, summer plumage
Feather colour: Black Brown Grey Red White
Leg colour: Grey
Beak: Black Yellow Medium length Powerful Chunky
Natural habitats: Marine and intertidal Wetland

Red-necked grebe (winter plumage)

Red necked grebe, winter plumage
Feather colour: Black Brown Cream/buff Grey Red White
Leg colour: Grey
Beak: Black Yellow Medium length Powerful Chunky
Natural habitats: Marine and intertidal Wetland

Similar birds:

Great crested grebe, summer plumage
Great crested grebe
Slavonian grebe, summer plumage
Slavonian grebe
Black necked grebe
Black-necked grebe

Where and when to see them

The best place to see red-necked grebes is from seawatching points around the east coast of the UK in winter. Summering birds are mainly found in the south and east of England.

* This map is intended as a guide. It shows general distribution rather than detailed, localised populations.
  • Resident
  • Passage
  • Summer
  • Winter
Red-necked grebe distribution map

You can see red-necked grebes in winter.

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