# Black-necked grebe (*Podiceps nigricollis*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/black-necked-grebe  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The black-necked grebe (Podiceps nigricollis), also called the eared grebe, is a bird in the family Podicipedidae and the order Podicipediformes. It is a small, migratory, aquatic bird of wetland habitat, with an adult body mass of 412.4 g and a wingspan of 58 cm. A carnivore, it is classed as an aquatic predator. Clutches hold 3.46 eggs, incubated for 21 days, and the species is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, not a threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 319 g – 412.4 g |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Wingspan | 58 cm |
| Lifespan | 10.3 years |
| Diet | Aquatic predator |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 13.1 years |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | wetland |
| Egg incubation | 21 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 3.46 |
| Age at maturity | 24 months |
| Litters or clutches a year | 1.5 |
| Reproduction | Eggs |
| Lifestyle | Aquatic |
| Migration | Migratory |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Aves
- order: Podicipediformes
- family: Podicipedidae
- genus: Podiceps
- species: *Podiceps nigricollis* C. L. Brehm, 1831

Synonyms: *Colymbus nigricollis*, *Podicipes nigricollis*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the black-necked grebe?

The black-necked grebe is a bird in the family Podicipedidae, order Podicipediformes. It is also called the eared grebe.

### How heavy is the black-necked grebe?

An adult black-necked grebe weighs 412.4 g, with a lowest reported value of 319 g. Its wingspan is 58 cm.

### What does the black-necked grebe eat?

The black-necked grebe is a carnivore classed as an aquatic predator.

### What habitat does the black-necked grebe live in?

The black-necked grebe lives in wetland habitat and has an aquatic lifestyle. It is migratory.

### Is the black-necked grebe endangered?

No. It is listed as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.

### How long does the black-necked grebe live?

The black-necked grebe has a lifespan of 10.3 years, with values up to 13.1 years reported.

### How many eggs does the black-necked grebe lay?

A clutch holds 3.46 eggs, with up to 3.5 reported, and there are 1.5 clutches per year. Eggs are incubated for 21 days.

### Who named the black-necked grebe?

The black-necked grebe, Podiceps nigricollis, was named by C. L. Brehm, 1831.

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7), CC BY 4.0, v7. Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Black-necked grebe (Podiceps nigricollis). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/black-necked-grebe