Species

Eared grebe

Podiceps nigricollis

A small, dusky-faced grebe with a thin, upturned bill, rare but regular in Georgia in winter.

Photo Frank Schulenburg (opens in a new tab) / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 (opens in a new tab)

Adaptation

At a glance

Size: About 30 to 35 cm long
Weight: About 250 to 700 g
Habitat: Lakes, ponds and treatment ponds in winter
Diet: Aquatic insects and small crustaceans
In Georgia: A rare winter visitor
Voice: Mostly silent in winter
Rabies vector: No

Identification

Key marks: Small grebe with a thin, slightly upturned bill; peaked head; dusky cheeks in winter; red eye
Told apart from: Horned grebe, which has a flat crown and crisp white cheeks
Where to look: Treatment ponds and small lakes, November to March

Behaviour

Eared grebes feed on small invertebrates. In the West, millions gather on salty lakes to feed on brine shrimp before migrating, and they can double their weight while there.

Why they matter

The eared grebe is probably the most numerous grebe in the world. It spends more of its life flightless than almost any other flying bird, because it moults its flight feathers and later shrinks its flight muscles at its autumn feeding lakes. The few reaching Georgia are at the eastern edge of their range.

Reproduction and lifecycle

Nest — A floating platform in colonies on western lakes
Eggs — Usually three or four
Incubation — About 21 days
Chicks — Ride on their parents' backs
Lifespan — Several years

Living around people

A grebe stranded on land cannot take off.

Misconceptions

The "ears" are ears. They are golden feather tufts shown only in breeding plumage.

Related species

Seasonal activity

When this species is breeding, and when there are nests on the ground. Mowing during the shaded months is how most nests are found.

Breeding and active nests by month for this species
	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Breeding	Jan: no	Feb: no	Mar: no	Apr: no	May: no	Jun: no	Jul: no	Aug: no	Sep: no	Oct: no	Nov: no	Dec: no
Active nests	Jan: no	Feb: no	Mar: no	Apr: no	May: no	Jun: no	Jul: no	Aug: no	Sep: no	Oct: no	Nov: no	Dec: no
Notes	Rare visitor	Rare visitor	Leaving	Migrating north	Nesting in the West	Nesting	Chicks	Gathering on salt lakes	Gathering on salt lakes	Moving south	Rare visitor arrives	Rare visitor

Where it lives

Recorded in 51 states and provinces. Each one links to the other animals there, and to the rehabilitators licensed for them.

Canada

If you found one

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