Wildlifeof China
Black-necked Grebe
Ducks, Geese & Grebes
Photo: (c) Kalvin Chan, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY
Podiceps nigricollis
Basic stats
Diet
Brine shrimps when moulting at saline lakes; multiple foraging techniques
Clutch size
3–4 eggs, sometimes larger through brood parasitism
Incubation period
21 days
The black-necked grebe, or eared grebe, is a member of the grebe family described in 1831 by Christian Ludwig Brehm. The breeding plumage has distinctive ochre-coloured feathers extending behind the eye and over the ear coverts, with the head, neck and breast black to blackish-brown, tawny-rufous to maroon-chestnut flanks and a white abdomen. In non-breeding plumage it is greyish-black above, including the top of the head, with a vertical stripe on the back of the neck (Wikipedia, general species account).
It lays one (sometimes two) clutch of three to four eggs, sometimes more because of brood parasitism by other females. After a 21-day incubation the eggs hatch and then the nest is deserted. It uses multiple foraging techniques, and when moulting at saline lakes feeds mostly on brine shrimps (Wikipedia, general species account).
Quick answers
- What does the Black-necked Grebe eat?
- Brine shrimps when moulting at saline lakes; multiple foraging techniques
- How many eggs does the Black-necked Grebe lay?
- 3–4 eggs, sometimes larger through brood parasitism
- How long are the eggs of the Black-necked Grebe incubated?
- 21 days