Podiceps nigricollis
Silhouette: Doug Backlund (photo), John E. McCormack, Michael G. Harvey, Brant C. Faircloth, Nicholas G. Crawford, Travis C. Glenn, Robb T. Brumfield & T. Michael Keesey · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~50%
The black-necked grebe or eared grebe (Podiceps nigricollis) is a member of the grebe family of water birds. It was described in 1831 by Christian Ludwig Brehm. Its breeding plumage features distinctive ochre-coloured feathers which extend behind its eye and over its ear coverts. The rest of the upper parts, including the head, neck, and breast, are coloured black to blackish brown. The flanks are tawny rufous to maroon-chestnut, and the abdomen is white. In its non-breeding plumage, this bird has greyish-black upper parts, including the top of the head and a vertical stripe on the back of the neck. The flanks are also greyish-black. The rest of the body is a white or whitish colour. The juvenile has more brown in its darker areas. This species is present in parts of Africa, Eurasia, and the Americas.
The black-necked grebe uses multiple foraging techniques. Insects, which make up the majority of this bird's diet, are caught either on the surface of the water or when they are in flight; this species occasionally practices foliage gleaning. This grebe dives to catch crustaceans, molluscs, tadpoles, and small frogs and fish. When moulting at saline lakes, this bird feeds mostly on brine shrimps (such as Artemia franciscana, and "Artemia parthenogenetica"). The black-necked grebe makes a floating cup nest on an open lake. The nest cup is covered with a disc. This nest is located both in colonies and by itself. During the breeding season, which varies depending on location, this species will lay one (sometimes two) clutch of three to four eggs. The number of eggs is sometimes larger due to conspecific brood parasitism. After a 21-day incubation period, the eggs hatch, and then the nest is deserted. After about 10 days, the parents split up the chicks between themselves. After this, the chicks become independent in about 10 days, and fledge in about three weeks.
Although it generally avoids flight, the black-necked grebe travels as far as 6,000 kilometres (3,700 mi) during migration. In addition, it becomes flightless for at least a month after completing a migration to reach an area where it can moult safely. During this moult, the grebe can double in weight. The migration to reach these areas can be dangerous, sometimes with thousands of grebe deaths. In spite of this, it is classified as a least concern species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). It is likely that this is the most numerous grebe in the world. Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ciudad Juárez | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 2 | San Diego | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Sendai | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 4 | Los Angeles | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | San Francisco | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Novosibirsk | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 7 | Las Vegas | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Busan | 🇰🇷 South Korea | |
| 9 | Kyiv | 🇺🇦 Ukraine | |
| 10 | Kazan | 🇷🇺 Russia |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Slimbridge Wetland Centre | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 2 | Augsburg Zoo | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 3 | L'Oceanogràfic | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 4 | Freilandanlage, Wasserstern 1904, Terrarien, Aquarien | 🇩🇪 Germany |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report an Eared Grebe sighting in Camargue on a given day, based on 155 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 98th most-seen of the 212 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
December
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report an Eared Grebe in Camargue on a given day, against under 5% in April to August, the lowest months.
Between 1 and 4 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Eared Grebe sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
10th of 39
Of the 39 parks where we can rate Eared Grebe sightings, Camargue ranks 10th at about 10%. The best odds are in El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve (Mexico, about 30%), De Hoop Nature Reserve (South Africa, about 20%) and Hortobágy National Park (Hungary, about 20%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Eared Grebe is recorded against all the birds logged in Camargue (155 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
