HORNED GREBE Podiceps auritus

HORNED GREBE Podiceps auritus

Slavonian Grebe

L 31–38 cm, WS 59–65 cm.

IDENTIFICATION 

Small grebe with relatively long neck, small stubby bill and flat crown. Adult summer distinguished by solid-looking golden ‘horns’ (tufts) on each side of black crown, black ‘tippets’ (facial plumes) and reddish-brown neck, upper breast and upper flanks. In poor light neck can look blackish, making confusion with Black-necked possible, but latter has much more steeply angled forehead and more straggly, fan-shaped golden plumes behind eye. Adult winter/Juvenile distinguished by distinctly clean-cut black and white appearance with very white cheeks that do not quite meet on the nape, being divided from each other by a narrow blackish stripe joining the black crown to the blackish hindneck, very white foreneck (although sides of neck
sometimes greyish, occasionally meeting in centre to separate white cheeks from white breast), straightlooking bill, flat crown and typically rather wedgeshaped head. 

Many have pale area in front of eye on lore and this is sometimes conspicuous. Very similar Black-necked has relatively smaller head with higher, more peaked crown, finer, more sharply tipped and often apparently slightly upturned bill, and (usually) dingier overall coloration with dusky cheeks bordered to rear by a crescent of white, a wider dusky stripe joining blackish crown to dusky hindneck, and dusky wash on sides of neck contrasting with white breast and throat. Lacks pale area in front of eye. Particularly drab individuals of Horned (mainly juveniles) require special care. Juvenile can show rufousbrown tinge to foreneck and pale stripe behind eye, inviting confusion with larger Red-necked (q.v.). 

Horned also has some superficial resemblance to much larger Great Crested Grebe (q.v.). In flight, has white upperwing patch on secondaries and also an inconspicuous white patch at base of forewing (lacking in Black-necked, but reduced or even absent in some Horned). 

SEX/AGE 

Juvenile browner than adult winter, with border between dark crown and white cheeks more diffuse. May have rufous-brown on foreneck. 

VOICE 

Mostly silent away from breeding grounds. Repertoire includes a repeated plaintive, nasal rattling ‘joarrrh’ and a loud, nasal, whinnying trill given in a series of pulses, each falling and dying away: ‘dji-ji-jiji- ji-ji-ji-ji-ji-ji-ji-jrrh’.

STATUS/HABITAT 

Generally uncommon, but locally fairly common on breeding grounds. (In addition to mapped range, has bred Faeroes, Poland.) In breeding season, freshwater lakes with emergent vegetation (even without such emergent vegetation in far north of range). At other times, favours fairly sheltered coastal waters and estuaries; locally also large lakes.