Slavonian Grebe
Encyclopedia
The Horned Grebe or Slavonian Grebe, Podiceps auritus, is a member of the grebe
family of water bird
s. The Slavonian Grebe is an excellent swimmer and diver, and pursues its fish
prey underwater. The Slavonian Grebe is one of the species
to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA
) applies.
.
and Asia
. It also breeds in remote inland parts of the United States
and much of Canada
. Most birds migrate
in winter to the coast
. During this time, this small grebe is mainly white with a sharply defined black cap. During breeding, the male's call is heard as an odd, striking series of loud croaks and chattering notes followed by prolonged shrieks.
Like all grebes, it builds a nest
on the water's edge, since its legs are set very far back and it cannot walk well. Usually two egg
s are laid, and the striped young are sometimes carried on the adult's back.
include Devil-diver, hell-diver, pink-eyed diver, and water witch. Its name is often abbreviated by British birders to "Slav Grebe" or simply "Slav".
In the lore of the Blackfeet
, the trickster Old Man tricked several ducks into closing their eyes and dancing while he killed them one by one. However, the smallest duck looked, saw Old Man, and alerted the other ducks. This "duck" was the Horned Grebe, who became the first to notice trouble.
Grebe
A grebe is a member of the Podicipediformes order, a widely distributed order of freshwater diving birds, some of which visit the sea when migrating and in winter...
family of water bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s. The Slavonian Grebe is an excellent swimmer and diver, and pursues its fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
prey underwater. The Slavonian Grebe is one of the species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA
AEWA
The Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds is the largest of its kind developed so far under the Bonn Convention. It was concluded on 16 June 1995 at The Hague, the Netherlands and entered into force on 1 November 1999 after the required number of at least fourteen...
) applies.
Description
The Horned Grebe is a small grebe at 31 – long with a 46 – wingspan. Unmistakable in summer, the plumage of both male and female includes a black head with brown puffy earlike tufts along the sides of its face. It shows a deep red neck, scarlet eyes, and a small, straight black bill tipped with white. It rides high in the waterWater
Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
.
Breeding
Slavonian Grebes breed in vegetated areas of freshwater lakes across EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
. It also breeds in remote inland parts of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and much of Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Most birds migrate
Bird migration
Bird migration is the regular seasonal journey undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather. Sometimes, journeys are not termed "true migration" because they are irregular or in only one direction...
in winter to the coast
Coast
A coastline or seashore is the area where land meets the sea or ocean. A precise line that can be called a coastline cannot be determined due to the dynamic nature of tides. The term "coastal zone" can be used instead, which is a spatial zone where interaction of the sea and land processes occurs...
. During this time, this small grebe is mainly white with a sharply defined black cap. During breeding, the male's call is heard as an odd, striking series of loud croaks and chattering notes followed by prolonged shrieks.
Like all grebes, it builds a nest
Bird nest
A bird nest is the spot in which a bird lays and incubates its eggs and raises its young. Although the term popularly refers to a specific structure made by the bird itself—such as the grassy cup nest of the American Robin or Eurasian Blackbird, or the elaborately woven hanging nest of the...
on the water's edge, since its legs are set very far back and it cannot walk well. Usually two egg
Egg (biology)
An egg is an organic vessel in which an embryo first begins to develop. In most birds, reptiles, insects, molluscs, fish, and monotremes, an egg is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum, which is expelled from the body and permitted to develop outside the body until the developing...
s are laid, and the striped young are sometimes carried on the adult's back.
In culture
Folk names of this birdBird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
include Devil-diver, hell-diver, pink-eyed diver, and water witch. Its name is often abbreviated by British birders to "Slav Grebe" or simply "Slav".
In the lore of the Blackfeet
Blackfeet
The Piegan Blackfeet are a tribe of Native Americans of the Algonquian language family based in Montana, having lived in this area since around 6,500 BC. Many members of the tribe live as part of the Blackfeet Nation in northwestern Montana, with population centered in Browning...
, the trickster Old Man tricked several ducks into closing their eyes and dancing while he killed them one by one. However, the smallest duck looked, saw Old Man, and alerted the other ducks. This "duck" was the Horned Grebe, who became the first to notice trouble.