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Great Crested GrebeAlternate name(s): "Crested Grebe", "Tippet Grebe", "Loon", "Gaunt"; Misnomer: "Carr Goose" ![]() Size: 47-61 cm; wing span 59-73 cm Weight: 0.9-1.5 kg |
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Photos |
Race "australis"
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ADULT |
Sex unknown |
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BREEDING |
Frontal view of a Great Crested Grebe in breeding
plumage,
i.e. with prominent crest and neck frill
[Old Quipolly Dam, near Quirindi, NSW, December 2016]
Frontal view of a Great Crested Grebe in breeding
plumage,
with its head turned sideways
[Old Quipolly Dam, near Quirindi, NSW, December 2016]
Near-frontal view of a Great Crested Grebe in breeding
plumage
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, January 2011]
Great Crested Grebe seen still wet, shortly after resurfacing from a dive
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, January 2011]
Near-lateral view of a Great Crested Grebe in breeding
plumage
[Old Quipolly Dam, near Quirindi, NSW, December 2016]
Lateral view of a Great Crested Grebe in breeding
plumage
[Old Quipolly Dam, near Quirindi, NSW, December 2016]
Lateral view of a Great Crested Grebe in breeding
plumage
[Old Quipolly Dam, near Quirindi, NSW, December 2016]
Lateral view of a Great Crested Grebe
(photo courtesy of M. Mearns)
[Kingaroy, QLD, October 2015]
Lateral view of a Great Crested Grebe
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Gatton, QLD, July 2018]
Lateral view of a wild-looking Great Crested Grebe
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Lake Samsonvale, QLD, May 2020]
Near-dorsal view of a Great Crested Grebe in breeding
plumage
[Old Quipolly Dam, near Quirindi, NSW, December 2016]
Dorsal view of a Great Crested Grebe in breeding
plumage,
i.e. with prominent crest and neck frill
[Old Quipolly Dam, near Quirindi, NSW, December 2016]
Great Crested Grebes (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Lake Samsonvale, QLD, January 2018]
Depending on how the Great Crested Grebe erects its feathers,
its neck can appear to be kinked
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, December 2010]
This view, while preening, clearly shows the double-lobed crest
and neck frill of a Great Crested Grebe
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, December 2010]
Great Crested Grebe resting on open water
[Split Rock Dam, near Manilla, NSW, May 2013]
Great Crested Grebe stretching and yawning after its rest
[Split Rock Dam, near Manilla, NSW, May 2013]
Eurasian Coots
getting very close did not disturb the resting Great Crested Grebe
[Split Rock Dam, near Manilla, NSW, May 2013]
About half the population of Great Crested Grebes found on this
water storage dam
[New Quipolly Dam, near Quirindi, NSW, October 2014]
Lateral view of a Great Crested Grebe in breeding
plumage
in comparison with two
Australasian Grebes
in non-breeding
plumage
[Old Quipolly Dam, near Quirindi, NSW, November 2019]
Distant lateral view of a Great Crested Grebe in low flight
[New Quipolly Dam, near Quirindi, NSW, October 2018]
Distant near-dorsal view of a Great Crested Grebe in low flight
[New Quipolly Dam, near Quirindi, NSW, October 2018]
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IMMATURE/JUVENILE |
Lateral view of a first-year Great Crested Grebe; the
plumage is
mostly like an adult's, but the crest and frill are not
yet fully developed
[New Quipolly Dam, near Quirindi, NSW, July 2016]
Dorsal view of a first-year Great Crested Grebe
[New Quipolly Dam, near Quirindi, NSW, July 2016]
Partly obscured lateral view of a first-year Great Crested Grebe
(photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Lake Monger, Perth, WA, March 2022]
First-year Great Crested Grebe, still ruffled from its last dive
[Macquarie Marshes
NR, NSW, April 2011]
Two first-year Great Crested Grebes; note how the
plumage of the
bird in the foreground (out-of-focus) is not as well developed yet
as that of the bird at the back
[Macquarie Marshes
NR, NSW, April 2011]
Lateral view of a juvenile Great Crested Grebe
[New Quipolly Dam, near Quirindi, NSW, May 2022]
Great Crested Grebe with juvenile in tow
(photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Bushell's Lagoon, Wilberforce, near Sydney, NSW, May 2016]
Juvenile Great Crested Grebe (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Bushell's Lagoon, Wilberforce, near Sydney, NSW, May 2016]
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Breeding information |
Breeding season: Nov - Jan | Eggs: 2 - 4 | Incubation period: 23 - 26 days | Fledging age: N/A |
Great Crested Grebe chicks are precocial, i.e. they leave the nest shortly after hatching. During the first few days they usually return to the nest; later they ride on the backs of their parents, especially when seeking protection.
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Nest |
"bungobittah", "lar", "malunna", "jindi" [bundjalung] = nest [Aboriginal] |
Type: Basket | Material: Aquatic plants | Height above ground: N/A |
Great Crested Grebe nests are partially floating mounds of pieces of aquatic plants built up from an underwater object. When leaving the nest, grebes will usually pull some leaves over the eggs to cover them.
Near-lateral view of a Great Crested Grebe on its nest (photo courtesy
of J. Greaves)
[Herdsman Lake, Perth, WA, January 2015]
Lateral view of a Great Crested Grebe on its nest in a relaxed stance
(photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Herdsman Lake, Perth, WA, January 2015]
Lateral view of a Great Crested Grebe on its nest in a more alert
stance (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Herdsman Lake, Perth, WA, January 2015]
When you want the location of your nest to be secret, you cannot
just chop down reeds for building the nest platform in the immediate
surroundings - Great Crested Grebe carrying nesting material
across a lake
[Old Quipolly Dam, near Quirindi, NSW, December 2016]
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Eggs |
"boyanga", "booyanga", "derinya", "dirandil", "koomura", "mirk", "ngampu", "nooluk", "pateena", "pum-pum" = Egg; "dirundirri" = eggs [Aboriginal]; "gawu" = eggs [gamilaraay] |
Size: 52 x 36 mm | Colour: Creamy to dark-brown | Shape: Tapered oval |
Grebe eggs start off with a relatively light colour. Since the shell is absorbent, they take on colour from the nesting material, turning progressively darker as incubation progresses.
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Behaviour |
Social behaviour: ? | Mobility: Vagrant/dispersive | Elementary unit: Solitary |
Pair of Great Crested Grebes in their typical bonding ritual (photo courtesy C. Hayne)
Great Crested Grebe resting on a suburban
lake
(photo courtesy J. Greaves)
[Perth, WA, December 2014]
Great Crested Grebes are very good divers that can cover large distances under water and stay below the surface for a long time.
Great Crested Grebe going for a dive
[Old Quipolly Dam, near Quirindi, NSW, December 2016]
This Great Crested Grebe has been digging dirt
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, December 2010]
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Food, Diet |
Great Crested Grebe bringing its catch, which looks like a bug,
to its chick
[New Quipolly Dam, near Quirindi, NSW, January 2022]
Great Crested Grebe bringing its catch, which looks like a bug,
to its chick
[New Quipolly Dam, near Quirindi, NSW, January 2022]
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Call(s)/Song |
For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The
interpretation of their meaning is our own;
comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.
crgrebe_jp_20200314.m4a |
cristatus (Portugal) |
Contact calls? Q&A | © JP | |
crgrebe_20200316.m4a |
australis (NW NSW) |
Contact calls? Q&A (+ White-plumed Honeyeater) |
© MD | |
crgrebe_20161218.mp3 |
australis (NW NSW) |
? | © MD | |
crgrebe_20161218_2.mp3 |
australis (NW NSW) |
? | © MD |
More Great Crested Grebe sound recordings are available at
xeno-canto.org
.