Podiceps grisegena
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 ~30% in a week ~60%
The red-necked grebe (Podiceps grisegena) is an aquatic bird found in the temperate regions of the northern hemisphere. A migratory bird, its wintering habitat is largely restricted to calm waters just beyond the waves around ocean coasts, although some birds may winter on large lakes. Grebes prefer shallow bodies of fresh water such as lakes, marshes or fish-ponds as breeding sites.
The red-necked grebe is a fairly drab dusky-grey bird in winter. During the breeding season, it acquires the distinctive red neck plumage, black cap and contrasting pale grey face from which its name was derived. It also has an elaborate courtship display and a variety of loud mating calls. Once paired, it builds a nest from water plants on top of floating vegetation in a shallow lake or bog.
Like all grebes, the red-necked is a good swimmer and particularly swift diver, and responds to danger by diving rather than flying. The feet are positioned far back on the body, near the tail, which makes the bird ungainly on land. It dives for fish or picks insects off vegetation; it also swallows its own feathers, possibly to protect the digestive system. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Elk Island National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 2 | Riding Mountain National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 3 | Great Bear Rainforest | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 4 | Pacific Rim National Park Reserve | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 5 | Banff National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 6 | Acadia National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Wrangell-St. Elias National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Hortobágy National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 9 | Jasper National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 10 | Olympic National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 11 | Kluane National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 12 | Voyageurs National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 13 | Redwood National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 14 | Biebrza National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 15 | Cape Breton Highlands National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 16 | Glacier National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 17 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 18 | Kiskunság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 19 | Kenai Fjords National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 20 | Channel Islands National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 21 | Yellowstone National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 22 | Point Pelee National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Montreal Biodome | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 2 | Ogród Zoologiczny w Katowicach | 🇵🇱 Poland |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Red-necked Grebe sighting in Toronto on a given day, based on 7,500 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 54th most-seen of the 288 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March–May and November
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Red-necked Grebe in Toronto on a given day, against under 5% in January and February, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Red-necked 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.
3rd of 29
Of the 29 cities where we can rate Red-necked Grebe sightings, Toronto ranks 3rd at about 10%. The best odds are in Anchorage (United States, about 50%) and Edmonton (Canada, about 20%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Red-necked Grebe is recorded against all the birds logged in Toronto (7,500 verified sightings), 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.
