The black-necked grebe (Podiceps nigricollis) belongs to the family Podicipedidae. Except for Australia and Antarctica, These grebe occurs in all the other continents. There are three recognized subspecies of these grebes.
P. n. nigricollis occurs in Europe, Africa and Asia, including the Indian subcontinent. P. n. gurneyi is found in southern Africa. P. n. californicus occurs in Canada and USA.
The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) has categorized and evaluated these grebe birds and has listed them of "least concern".
These birds are small in size, measuring 30-35 cm in length and 260-450 grams in weight. These birds have distinctive breeding plumage. In breeding plumage they are black necked with golden plumes on either side of the head. They swim and dive to catch their feed. They feed on small fish, crustaceans, aquatic insects and larvae.
They breed during April to August and nest on the edge of the water body among thick vegetations. These are migratory birds known to fly as much as 6,000 km.
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| Frank Vassen | License: CC BY 2.0 as on 7/14/18 |
| Biological classification of Podiceps nigricollis | |
|---|---|
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Podicipediformes |
| Family: | Podicipedidae |
| Subfamily: | - |
| Genus: | Podiceps |
| Species: | P. nigricollis |
| Binomial name: | Podiceps nigricollis |
| Distribution: | freshwater lakes across Europe, Asia, Africa, northern South America, USA; |
| Feeding habits: | fish, small crustaceans, aquatic insects and larvae; |
| IUCN status listing: | Least Concern |
Image source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Black-necked_Grebe_Schwarzhalstaucher.jpg
Author: Andreas Trepte, www.photo-natur.de | License: CC BY-SA 2.5
Current topic: Black-necked grebe - Podiceps nigricollis.