Granddad’s Camera
Great crested grebe, as it appears in the game

No.049 · Birds · Common

Great crested grebe

Podiceps cristatus

Elegant water bird with a double crest and courtship dance. Chicks ride on their parents' backs.

When to look

All year, mostly at dawn, day and dusk.

Time of day

Best time
Day, all year; courtship February–May.
Where in the game
the Norfolk Broads (broad and river)
Size
Length 45–51 cm (Wildlife Trusts)
Wingspan
About 88 cm (Wildlife Trusts)
Weight
About 1 kg (BTO)
Lifespan
Oldest ringed bird 11 years 10 months (BTO)
Population
About 4,900 pairs (BTO, 2016); 18,000 wintering (2012–17)
Status
Green (Birds of Conservation Concern 5, 2021)

Diet

Fish and aquatic invertebrates

Habitat

Lakes, broads and slow rivers

Breeding

Clutch 3–4 eggs; incubation 27–29 days; young fledge at 71–79 days.

Field signs

  • A floating nest of weed anchored among the reeds
  • Striped chicks riding on a parent's back
  • A double crest and orange ruff in the breeding season
  • Dives to feed and to escape, rather than flying

Did you know?

  • Around 1860 as few as 32 pairs were known in England, after birds were hunted for their plumes (BTO).
  • Pairs offer each other weed, rising chest to chest (RSPB).
  • Very young chicks often ride on their parents' backs (RSPB).

Moments worth waiting for

  • Weed dance February to May, dawn and day
    Two grebes rise chest to chest, offering weed.
  • Chicks on back May to August, day
    Striped chicks peek out from under a parent's wing.

Photo tip

Use a low angle at water level for reflections. In February–May, watch a pair from a bankside seat in soft early light with a 400–500 mm lens, and be ready for the weed dance.

Be a good naturalist

Keep well back from nests, especially from boats: grebe nests float at the water's edge and wash can swamp them. Don't approach courting or nesting pairs.

The law

Protected under Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

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