Great crested grebe
Podiceps cristatus (Linnaeus, 1758)
The great crested grebe (Podiceps cristatus) is a bird in the family Podicipedidae, order Podicipediformes. It is a small, aquatic, carnivorous bird of wetland habitat, with a diet classed as aquatic predator, and it is sedentary.
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Quick facts about the great crested grebe
Adults weigh 731 g, with a recorded high of 920 g, and have a wingspan of 88 cm. A clutch holds 3.77 eggs, with 1.5 clutches per year and an incubation period of 28 days; sexual maturity is reached at 2 years.
- Weight
- 731 g – 920 gsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Wingspan
- 88 cmsrc for Wingspan
- Lifespan
- 16.9 yearssrc for Lifespan
- Diet
- Aquatic predatorsrc for Diet
- Longest recorded lifespan
- 19.3 years
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- wetlandsrc for Habitat
- Egg incubation
- 28 dayssrc for Egg incubation
- Young per litter or clutch
- 3.77 – 3.9src for Young per litter or clutch
- Age at maturity
- 24 monthssrc for Age at maturity
- Litters or clutches a year
- 1.5src for Litters or clutches a year
- Lifestyle
- Aquaticsrc for Lifestyle
- Migration
- Sedentarysrc for Migration
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- 1 countrysrc for Countries on record
How big is the great crested grebe?
Photos of the great crested grebe
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
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Where does the great crested grebe live?
Countries where Catalogue of Life checklists list the species. Many checklists carry no country data, so the list is often incomplete. It is not a range map.
The great crested grebe is listed for 1 country.
- Listed
- Not listed
The same countries as a list
Why a country list is not a range map
Listed by: ITIS (scope: global), through the Catalogue of Life.
What is the great crested grebe?
The great crested grebe (Podiceps cristatus) is a member of the grebe family of water birds. The bird is characterised by its distinctive appearance, featuring striking black, orange-brown, and white plumage, and elaborate courtship display that involves synchronised dances and displays.
From the Wikipedia article “Great crested grebe” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Great_crested_grebe&oldid=1380159320), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
What does the great crested grebe sound like?
Is the great crested grebe endangered?
The great crested grebe is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species. What the categories mean.
How is the great crested grebe classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classAves
- orderPodicipediformes
- familyPodicipedidae
- genusPodiceps
- SpeciesPodiceps cristatus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms Podicipes cristatus
Other names and names in other languages (133)
- Crested grebeEnglish
- GCGREnglish
- Great-crested grebeEnglish
- KuifkopdobbertjieAfrikaans
- Kuifkopdobbertjie (Kuifkopduikertjie)Afrikaans
- TüchelAlbanian
- غطاس متوجArabic
- غطاس متوج كبيرArabic
- SemerguyuAsturian
- somorguyu crestuduAsturian
- Böyük iyrəncəAzerbaijani
- УрҙанBashkir
- Коўра вялікаяBelarusian
- Вяліка паганкаBelarusian
- Вялiкая коўра (або чомга)Belarusian
- Голям гмурецBulgarian
- Plomer-kuchennBreton
- Soterí GrosCatalan
- cabussó emplomallatCatalan
- Шуран вишкӹрMari
- Тӗпеклӗ чӑмкӑҫChuvash
- Тĕпеклĕ чăмкăçChuvash
- roháč velikýCzech
- potápka roháčCzech
- gwyach fawr gopogWelsh
- Gwyachod Mawr CopogWelsh
- toppet lappedykkerDanish
- HaubentaucherGerman
- ΣκουφοβουτηχτάριGreek
- TufgreboEsperanto
- tufa greboEsperanto
- somormujo lavancoSpanish
- tuttpüttEstonian
- Murgil handiBasque
- کشیم بزرگPersian
- silkkiuikkuFinnish
- KambsgjørFaroese
- KamsgjørFaroese
- grèbe huppéFrench
- Toopet dükerNorthern Frisian
- HjerringslynderWestern Frisian
- Lúnadán mór an chorraicínIrish
- lachairScottish Gaelic
- foitheach mórScottish Gaelic
- gobhachain mhòraScottish Gaelic
- gobhachan mòrScottish Gaelic
- gobhlachainScottish Gaelic
- gobhlachanScottish Gaelic
- Gobhlachan laparanScottish Gaelic
- lachaireanScottish Gaelic
- Lapairin mòrScottish Gaelic
- spàgaire mòrScottish Gaelic
- spàgairean mòraScottish Gaelic
- Mergullón cristadoGalician
- Eean KereenManx
- Greeb kereenaghManx
- ચોટીલી ડુબકીGujarati
- טבלן מצויץHebrew
- búbos vöcsökHungarian
- Մեծ սուզակArmenian
- Սուզակ մեծArmenian
- Titihan jambulIndonesian
- ToppgoðiIcelandic
- Toppgo?iIcelandic
- Svasso maggioreItalian
- カンムリカイツブリJapanese
- დიდი კოკონაGeorgian
- БабыщыпцӀэкъуэлэнKabardian
- Сомгыkjn
- Үлкен сұқсырKazakh
- 뿔논병아리Korean
- پێ بەقوونەی سەر بەکڵاوەKurdish
- سۆنەبناڤکا بکۆفیک یا مەزنKurdish
- Sonebinavika bi kofîk a mezinKurdish
- Gryb kernekCornish
- HauwendaucherLuxembourgish
- Kaupegen DuckerLuxembourgish
- ausuotasis kragasLithuanian
- cekuldūkurisLatvian
- KāmanaMāori
- PateketekeMāori
- PūteketekeMāori
- КокољкаMacedonian
- цуцулест нуркачMacedonian
- Blonġun PrimMaltese
- Отгот шунгуурMongolian
- मोठी टिबुकलीMarathi
- မောက်တင်ရေဝမ်းဘဲကြီးBurmese
- toppdykkerNorwegian Bokmål
- SeehahnLow German
- सिउरे डुबुल्कीचराNepali
- fuutDutch
- Gewone fuutDutch
- toppdukkarNorwegian Nynorsk
- ToppdykkarNorwegian Nynorsk
- Grand' poutchettenrm
- perkoz dwuczubyPolish
- وڈے تاج آلا گریبWestern Panjabi
- mergulhão-de-poupaPortuguese
- mergulhão-de-cristaPortuguese
- Sfunsella da la crestaRomansh
- Corcodel mareRomanian
- corcodelul mareRomanian
- чомгаRussian
- Большая поганкаRussian
- или большая поганкаRussian
- или хохлатая гагара (устар.)Russian
- BunnetieScots
- SilkebuokčaNorthern Sami
- silkebuokčáNorthern Sami
- potápka chochlatáSlovak
- čopasti ponirekSlovenian
- mzhytsi i madhAlbanian
- kredharaku i madhAlbanian
- zhytra e madheAlbanian
- Ćubasti gnjuracSerbian
- Ћубасти гњурацSerbian
- Ћубасти гњурац/Ćubasti gnjuracSerbian
- skäggdoppingSwedish
- Kibisi ushungiSwahili
- นกเป็ดผีใหญ่Thai
- bahriTurkish
- NyakupetanaTsonga
- Улуг ырыксысTuvinian
- Велика пірникозаUkrainian
- Пірникоза великаUkrainian
- Chim lặn mào lớnVietnamese
- 冠鸊鷈Chinese
- 冠鸊鷉Chinese
- 凤头䴙䴘Chinese
- 凤头鸊鷉Chinese
- 凤头Chinese
- 鳳頭鷿鷈Chinese
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistTAXREFWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List
Relatives of the great crested grebe
Other species in the same genus Podiceps.
Black-necked grebe
Podiceps nigricollis
Horned grebe
Podiceps auritus
Red-necked grebe
Podiceps grisegena
Great grebe
Podiceps major
Silvery grebe
Podiceps occipitalis
Junin grebe
Podiceps taczanowskii
CompareGreat crested grebe vs Black-necked grebeGreat crested grebe vs Horned grebeGreat crested grebe vs Red-necked grebeGreat crested grebe vs Great grebe
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is the great crested grebe?
The great crested grebe is a bird in the family Podicipedidae, order Podicipediformes. It is also called the Crested grebe or Great-crested grebe.
How big is the great crested grebe?
Adults weigh 731 g, with a highest reported value of 920 g, and have a wingspan of 88 cm. It falls in the small size class.
What does the great crested grebe eat?
The great crested grebe is a carnivore with a diet classed as aquatic predator.
Is the great crested grebe endangered?
No. It is listed as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List in a global assessment, which is not a threatened category.
How long does the great crested grebe live?
Its lifespan is given as 16.85 years, with a highest reported value of 19.25 years.
How many eggs does the great crested grebe lay?
A clutch holds 3.77 eggs, with 1.5 clutches per year. Incubation lasts 28 days.
Who named the great crested grebe?
The scientific name Podiceps cristatus is credited to (Linnaeus, 1758).
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · 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 · 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 · 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 · 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 · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · 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).
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CreatureData. (2026). Great crested grebe (Podiceps cristatus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/great-crested-grebe
“Great crested grebe (Podiceps cristatus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/great-crested-grebe.
@misc{great_crested_grebe_2026,
title = {Great crested grebe (Podiceps cristatus)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/great-crested-grebe},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}