Podiceps cristatus

The Crested Grebe is a summer bird that lives from the northeast to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and winters in most areas south of the Yangtze River. During the breeding season, it has complex courtship behaviors, with male and female individuals performing a ritualized "dance" on the water surface: the two individuals cooperate with each other, remain perpendicular to the water surface, nod to each other, and sometimes hold water plants in their mouths.

The Crested Grebe has strong diving ability and feeds on mollusks, fish, crustaceans and aquatic plants. The breeding season is from May to July. It builds nests in reeds or cattails with good concealment conditions, using reeds and water plants as nest materials. Each nest lays 4 to 5 eggs, which are oblong and grayish white.

During the breeding season, pairs perform exquisite courtship displays, looking at each other, holding their bodies high and nodding at the same time, sometimes holding plants in their mouths.

It is a winter migratory bird. It inhabits coastal areas, lakes, reservoirs, rivers and other waters. Its food is fish, shrimp, aquatic insects, and some aquatic plants.

It often moves in pairs or small groups. It is good at swimming and diving, but not good at flying. Its nests are mostly located among water plants in shallow water.

The adult bird makes a deep and loud call. The chicks make a ping-ping sound when begging for food.

In China, it breeds in parts of Northeast China, Northwest China, North China, Xinjiang and Tibet. When migrating, it passes through North China and Central China, and winters in the Yangtze River Basin, the southeast coast and the southwest. Abroad, it is widely distributed in Eurasia, Africa and Australia.

Crested Grebes live in various waters such as rivers, lakes and ponds in low mountains and plains, especially in lakes and marshes with dense reeds and aquatic plants, where they are more numerous.

The adult bird has a slender body. The head and upper body of the adult bird are brown during the breeding period. The feathers on the top of the head extend into a crest. The base of the ear feathers and the feathers on the side of the neck are chestnut brown, and the ends are black, forming a collar shape. There is a black line from the corner of the beak to the eyes. , the flanks are maroon, the underparts are white, the winter feathers are grey-brown on the top of the head and upper parts, the sides of the neck are brown, and the rest of the parts are white. The iris is brown, the beak is yellow, and the legs are yellow.