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Black-necked Grebes are small grebes. Both sexes have the same plumage, but breeding and non-breeding plumages are different. The non-breeding plumage is rather plain (and similar to that of other small grebes). There are small gradations, with the chin and neck being the lightest shade, but the entire plumage is then plain-grey. The crown and back are darkest grey. In eclipse Black-necked Grebes do not have a visible crest. During the breeding season Black-necked Grebes have a black head and neck, with prominent brown ear tufts. While breeding, they have a small black crest. Also the the back is black. The sides are rufous-brown. During a transition period the front, from the chin downwards, may still be greyish. During the breeding season the irises are bright-red, while in eclipse they are orange-brown. The pointy bill is dark-grey; while breeding it shows some brown at the base.

The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org .

The global distribution of the Black-necked Grebe is available HERE .

Black-necked Grebes are a highly migratory species. There are three races, which altogether populate parts of several continents. Nominate race "nigricollis" has the most widespread distribution. Apart from a few areas where they are found permanently in western and south-western Europe, most Black-necked Grebes only spend the winters in Europe, mainly along the French-Benelux Atlantic/North Sea coastline and parts of the northern Mediterranean coastline, in particular basically all of Greece and also all of Turkey. There is also a permanent population in some small areas of eastern Africa. Another stronghold is to the South of the Caspian Sea, in Iraq and Iran. These populations will breed in near-coastal northern Germany and Poland and also along the major rivers of eastern Europe, in particular the Danube, while most will breed in mid-latitude eastern Europe from the Baltic states to the North coast of the Black Sea eastwards into large parts of central Asia. A separate East-Asian population of race "nigricollis", which breeds in southern China, spends the winters in the coastal regions of Japan and further South-east, via Vietnam to the tropic of Cancer. Race "californicus" breeds in inland North America, from south-western Canada to the Mid-West of the US. They are permanent residents in some of the south-western states and spend the winters anywhere around the Gulf of Mexico from Mississippi to central American countries South of the equator and also throughout Mexico and northward along the North-American Pacific coastline, from the Baja California to British Columbia. They are not found in the Rocky Mountains. Race "gurneyi", which is sedentary, populates parts of subtropical South Africa and the south-western African (near-)coastal fringe.

In Europe nominate race "nigricollis" is most reliably found in northern central and parts of eastern Europe.

During the breeding season Black-necked Grebes have a strong preference for fresh water aquatic habitats, such as rivers and lakes, while during the winters they are also found in maritime coastal waters.

Race "nigricollis"