Eared Grebe (Podiceps nigricollis) lives in freshwater lakes across North America. It feeds on insects and crustaceans. Its conservation status is Least Concern.
Fascinating facts about the Eared Grebe
- Black-necked grebes can fly up to 6,000 km (3,700 mi) on migration, yet after reaching a safe moulting site they lose the ability to fly for at least a month. During this period they can double their body weight. This extreme weight gain lets them store enough fat to power an overnight fall migration, highlighting how a brief flightless spell fuels a massive inter-continental trek.
- During breeding, each pair usually lays a single clutch of three to four eggs, but nearly 40 % of nests fall victim to conspecific brood parasitism, where another female sneaks in extra eggs. This "dump-nesting" inflates the host clutch by about two eggs on average.
- In most seasons insects dominate the black-necked grebe's diet, snatched from the water surface or even in mid-air, while the bird also dives for crustaceans, molluscs, tadpoles and tiny fish. When moulting at salty lakes, it switches almost entirely to brine shrimp such as Artemia franciscana and Artemia parthenogenetica, showing a flexible foraging toolkit that lets it exploit abundant but otherwise inaccessible prey during a vulnerable life stage.
- After the moult, grebes not only double their weight but also redistribute fat: the abdomen stores the most, followed by the thorax, with the chest holding the least. This layered fat depot powers the overnight fall migration to wintering grounds, demonstrating how precise body-fat placement underpins the bird's ability to travel long distances.
- When nesting alone, a black-necked grebe builds a floating cup about 28 cm (11 in) across, ranging from 20 cm to over 30 cm, while colonies force a tighter design of roughly 25.5 cm (10 in). The tighter spacing, just 1-2 m between nests.
Sources
Every fact above was checked against these pages, and kept only where one of them states it.
At a glance
RangeNorth America
HabitatFreshwater lakes
DietInsects and crustaceans
About the Eared Grebe
In the shimmering expanse of a sun-drenched lake, the Eared Grebe glides effortlessly, its sleek, black-and-white feathers glistening like polished onyx as it navigates the water's edge with an air of quiet purpose. With each precise stroke of its paddle-like feet, the grebe propels itself forward, its bright, inquisitive eyes scanning the surface for the telltale ripples of unsuspecting fish, its very existence a masterclass in understated elegance. As it dives beneath the waves, the grebe's distinctive golden "ears" - delicate, yellow plumes that adorn its head - seem to glow like embers, a fleeting glimpse of beauty in the fleeting world beneath the surface.
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