Species

Red-necked grebe

Podiceps grisegena

A large grebe of northern lakes that reaches Georgia only in some winters.

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

At a glance

Size: About 40 to 50 cm long
Weight: About 800 to 1,600 g
Habitat: Large lakes and coastal waters in winter
Diet: Fish and crustaceans
In Georgia: A rare winter visitor, more often after hard freezes to the north
Voice: Mostly silent in winter
Rabies vector: No

Identification

Key marks: Large grebe with a long, yellow-based bill; in winter greyish with a pale crescent on the cheek
Told apart from: Horned grebe, which is smaller with a short bill and crisp white cheeks
Told apart from: Common loon, which is larger with a heavier bill
Where to look: Large reservoirs and coastal waters, especially after cold snaps up north

Behaviour

Red-necked grebes dive for fish. When the Great Lakes freeze, many move south, and some reach Georgia's lakes.

Why they matter

This grebe breeds on northern lakes and winters mostly on the sea. Its occasional appearances in Georgia follow hard winters farther north, showing how weather far away shapes which birds reach the state.

Reproduction and lifecycle

Nest — A floating mound of plants
Eggs — Usually four or five
Incubation — About 20 to 23 days
Chicks — Ride on their parents' backs
Flight — At about eight to ten weeks
Lifespan — Several years

Living around people

A grebe on land cannot take off and needs a rehabilitator.

Misconceptions

A grebe in Georgia in winter is lost. Red-necked grebes arrive when northern waters freeze.

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, especially after freezes to the north	Leaving	Migrating north	Nesting in the north	Nesting	Chicks	Young growing	Migration begins	Moving to the coasts	Wintering farther north	Wintering

Where it lives

Recorded in 35 states and provinces. Each one links to the other animals there, and to the rehabilitators licensed for them.

Canada

If you found one

Answer a few questions and you will get a specific answer for what you are looking at.

I found an animal