CreatureData

Great grebe

Podiceps major (Boddaert, 1783)

LCLeast Concernbirds

The great grebe (Podiceps major) is a species in the family Podicipedidae, order Podicipediformes. Recorded adults weigh about 1.65 kg. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Great grebe (Podiceps major)
Photo: Cláudio Dias Timm from Rio Grande do Sul · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the great grebe

Weight
1.65 kgsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
Not recorded
Diet
Aquatic predatorsrc for Diet
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
wetlandsrc for Habitat
Young per litter or clutch
3.9src for Young per litter or clutch
Lifestyle
Aquaticsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Migratorysrc for Migration
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the great grebe live?

Not recorded

What is the great grebe?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The great grebe (Podiceps major) is the largest species of grebe in the world. A disjunct population exists in northwestern Peru, while the main distribution is from extreme southeastern Brazil to Patagonia and central Chile. The population from southern Chile is considered a separate subspecies, P. m. navasi.

From the Wikipedia article “Great grebe” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Great_grebe&oldid=1354155836), 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.

Is the great grebe endangered?

The great grebe is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.

How is the great grebe classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderPodicipediformes
  5. familyPodicipedidae
  6. genusPodiceps
  7. SpeciesPodiceps major (Boddaert, 1783)

Synonyms Aechmophorus major

Other names and names in other languages (47)
  • غطاس كبيرArabic
  • Магеланов гмурецBulgarian
  • Plomer brasBreton
  • cabussó granCatalan
  • Cabussó grosCatalan
  • potápka velkáCzech
  • gwyach fawrWelsh
  • Stor LappedykkerDanish
  • MagellantaucherGerman
  • granda greboEsperanto
  • HualaSpanish
  • Macá grandeSpanish
  • Somormujo macachónSpanish
  • Somormujo machacónSpanish
  • Zambullidor GrandeSpanish
  • hiidpüttEstonian
  • SuurpüttEstonian
  • کشیم بزرگPersian
  • isouikkuFinnish
  • grand GrèbeFrench
  • Foitheach mórIrish
  • Greeb mooarManx
  • Ype apa guasuGuarani
  • Veliki gnjurac - велики гњурацSerbian (Latin)
  • Veliki gnjurac / велики гњурацSerbian (Latin)
  • nagy vöcsökHungarian
  • HauggoðiIcelandic
  • Svasso giganteItalian
  • Svasso maggiore del SudamericaItalian
  • オオカイツブリJapanese
  • didysis kragasLithuanian
  • Naalʼeełii keelóól ntsaaígííNavajo
  • spydnebbdykkerNorwegian Bokmål
  • grote fuutDutch
  • spyddykkerNorwegian
  • perkoz olbrzymiPolish
  • mergulhão-grandePortuguese
  • Магелланова поганкаRussian
  • SáitenjunbuokčaNorthern Sami
  • potápka dlhozobáSlovak
  • veliki ponirekSlovenian
  • Veliki gnjuracSerbian
  • stordoppingSwedish
  • Büyük BatağanTurkish
  • пірникоза-голіафUkrainian
  • 大䴙䴘Chinese
  • 大鸊鷈Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List

Relatives of the great grebe

Other species in the same genus Podiceps.

EN, Endangered
Junin grebe (Podiceps taczanowskii)

Junin grebe

Podiceps taczanowskii

Podicipedidae

CompareGreat grebe vs Great crested grebeGreat grebe vs Black-necked grebeGreat grebe vs Horned grebeGreat grebe vs Red-necked grebe

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the great grebe?

An adult great grebe weighs 1.65 kg, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the great grebe endangered?

The great grebe is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

What kind of animal is the great grebe?

The great grebe (Podiceps major) belongs to the family Podicipedidae in the order Podicipediformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Great grebe (Podiceps major). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/great-grebe

MLA

“Great grebe (Podiceps major).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/great-grebe.

BibTeX
@misc{great_grebe_2026,
  title = {Great grebe (Podiceps major)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/great-grebe},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}