Great Crested Grebe
(Podiceps cristatus)
They are seen almost exclusively in the water. They do not escape by flying into the air but rather dive quickly under the water.
Description
Males and females have no differences in their plumage, so they are impossible to distinguish. Wingspan: up to 90 cm. Length: 48 cm. Their plumage is very different depending on the time of year. In autumn-winter, their chest, throat, and sides are white, and their backs and heads (crest) are dark brown. In spring-summer, they have very flashy plumage called ‘nuptial livery’, the purpose of which is to attract a partner. They have flashy reddish-brown and black tufts on the sides of their heads and two black plumes on their crest. Part of the feathers on their sides become reddish-brown. Chicks have vertical white and black stripes in their plumage.
Habitat
They prefer deep, rather open water surrounded by rushes.
Observation in the Torbiera Reserve
The species is present in the ‘Lame’ with a small number of nesting pairs, while a few dozen pairs nest in the ‘Lamette’. Nonmigratory populations are joined in autumn and winter by wintering contingents from beyond the Alps. Numbers of this diving species have dropped dramatically due to the presence of wels catfish (Silurus glanis).
