Red-necked Grebe

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Behaviour

Breeding and survival

Red-necked Grebes usually nest as isolated pairs with more than 50 m (160 ft) between neighbouring nests, although semi-colonial nesting may occur in suitable sites, where up to 20 pairs each defend a linear territory. Semi-colonial breeding is more likely to occur in prime locations, such as large floating mats of vegetation with no connection to the shoreline. Such sites, safe from most predators and large enough to provide some wind and wave protection, have grebes nesting much closer than shoreline breeders, down to 10 m (33 ft).] Breeding is often in loose association with gulls or other colonial water birds. The monogamous pair forms in April or May on migration or at the breeding water, and a highly vocal courtship ritual commences. The elaborate breeding performance includes head-shaking, a head-lowered "cat" display, parallel rushes in an upright position and mutual presentations of green weeds, and culminates in a "penguin" dance in which pair members raise the whole body upright, breast to breast.

Like all grebes, the Red-necked Grebe nests near water into which it can escape, since the position of the legs far back on the body prevents fast movement on land. It often breeds further within reed beds than other grebes. The nest is a floating platform of plant matter anchored to submerged or emergent vegetation, in water 0.5–0.75 m (19–29 in) deep, and with the bulk of nest below the water line. Egg-laying mainly takes place from mid-April to May in Europe, and somewhat later, from mid-May to June, in North America. Parents may leave the nest for significant periods of time during the night, possibly to evade nocturnal predators. It is unclear whether this is for self-protection or to protect the eggs by diverting attention from the nest; the clutch does not appear to suffer from this temporary abandonment, whatever the reason.] The brood may be split, so that each parent feeds only some of the chicks. This spreads the feeding demand equally between the parents. Lott (19910 74,76,146 ]

After breeding the adults moult their wing feathers and are temporarily flightless; migration commences once the flight feathers have regrown. The Red-necked Grebe is normally single-brooded, although second broods and re-nesting after a clutch has been lost may extend nesting into July or August.

Eggs may be destroyed and chicks killed by a range of predators, including the raccoon in North America and the Carrion Crow in Europe.] European breeders, which have to compete with the larger Great Crested Grebe for fish, eat a greater proportion of invertebrates than the longer-billed American subspecies, although both races eat mainly fish in winter. Birds of the nominate subspecies from the northernmost breeding populations in Finland and Russia, beyond the range of Great Crested Grebe, have a longer and more slender bill than those further south, reflecting a greater proportion of fish in the diet where their main competitor is absent. Retrieved 4 July 2008] Parties to the Agreement are required to engage in a wide range of conservation strategies which are describes in a detailed action plan. The plan is intended to address key issues such as species and habitat conservation, management of human activities, research, education, and implementation.
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* Root, Terry Louise. (1988). "Atlas of Wintering North American Birds: An Analysis of Christmas Bird Count Data". Chicago: University of Chicago Press. ISBN 0226725405.
*cite book | author=Sibley, David | title= The North American Bird Guide | publisher= Pica Press | year=2000 | id=ISBN 0873403984
*cite book | last = Snow | first = David |coauthors= Perrins, Christopher M (editors)| title = The Birds of the Western Palearctic (BWP) concise edition (2 volumes) | publisher = Oxford University Press |date = 1998| location =Oxford | isbn = 019854099X|

External links

* [http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/id/framlst/i0020id.html USGS - Red-necked Grebe Information]
* [http://sdakotabirds.com/species/red_necked_grebe_info.htm South Dakota Birds - Red-necked Grebe Information and Photos]
* [http://www.flickr.com/search/groups/?w=42637302@N00&q=red-necked+grebe&m=pool Flicker Field Guide Birds of the World] Photographs
* [http://ibc.hbw.com/ibc/phtml/especie.phtml?idEspecie=90 Red-necked Grebe videos] on the Internet Bird Collection