pit Grebe (pit) foreign name red-necked grebe, there are 2 subspecies in the world, that is, Red necked Grebe named subspecies P. g. Grisegena (Boddaert, 1783) and the Red Necked Grebe Northern subspecies P. g. holboellii (Reinhardt, 1854). China has only a northern subspecies, which breeds in Heilongjiang province and winters in Hebei, Fujian and Guangdong. During the migration, it passed through Jilin and Liaoning provinces. There is also information that the named subspecies also breeds in the Tekos River in China, but this is not confirmed.
Although the red necked grebe winter feathers are similar to those of the crested grebe, the crested grebe winter feathers are white above the eyes to the pillow, chin, throat, front neck, and side of the neck, with a black line from the corners of the mouth to the eyes clearly visible; The red-necked grebe is white only from the eyes to the chin, and the front neck and side of the neck are grayish brown, the difference is quite obvious.
The Grebe is found alone or in pairs on the water during the day, and occasionally in small groups, especially during migration. Good at swimming and diving, do not like to fly, even if suddenly faced with danger, but also by diving or swimming to hide in nearby plants to escape danger. Sex alert, action is extremely cautious and careful, more away from the shore activities. It is easier to move on land than a crested grebe, but generally does not go to land. It is aggressive during the breeding season to defend its territory, and when other red-necked grebes intrude, it will resort to underwater diving attacks to drive out intruders.
The Grebe feeds mainly on fish, frogs, tadpoles, insects and their larvae, crustaceans, mollusks and other small aquatic invertebrates and vertebrates, and also eats some aquatic plants. Foraging is mainly through diving, while flying in the air, able to catch some low-altitude insects. The red-necked grebe usually catches and swallows small prey underwater, while bringing larger prey to the surface for consumption. Usually they hold their prey in their beaks and shake their heads to swallow it. The red-necked grebe migrates from March to April in spring and from late September to early October in autumn. Heilongjiang Province of China is a summer migratory bird, and the southern part is a winter migratory bird. They often migrate in pairs or small groups along rivers and coasts. Birds in North America and Northeast Asia overwinter in China, Japan, and the southern United States.
The red-necked grebe outside the breeding season is silent. The nest was noisy, howling "uooh, uooh, uooh..." , ending with a gruff scream; Also makes a gruff cherk call.
The breeding season for the red-necked grebe is generally from May to July, mid-April to May in Europe and mid-May to June in North America. During reproduction there is often a continuous "kek-kek-kek" frequent call or a wailing "khkh-khaaa-kkhakbaa-kha" call. In courtship, the male and female birds swim together, flap their wings, then raise their forelegs, stand face to face in the water, their beaks touching, their crests upright, and then swim away.
From about April onwards, the Grebe begins to move to breeding grounds, and upon arrival it begins to nest, usually in scattered pairs about 50 m apart. They nest in freshwater lakes and ponds rich in aquatic plants such as reeds and rushes. The nest is a floating nest, formed by the accumulation of dead aquatic plants, usually placed in the water grass. Each clutch lays 4-5 eggs, and there are as few as 3 eggs and as many as 6 or even 8 eggs. The eggs are blue-green when they are first laid and gradually turn rusty brown as they hatch. The size is 47.8-53.5 mm x 33.5-36.8 mm, with an average of 51.5 mm x 35.77 mm. Incubation begins after the first egg is laid, and the incubation period is 20-23 days. Young birds become young. After hatching, the chicks climb onto the back of the parent bird and stay there for about 10 days. After about 2 weeks the chicks are able to move around and dive, and after 7-9 weeks they can fly. The chicks are then fed by their parents for about 54 days before their wings are nearly full.
The red Necked Grebe has a wide range and does not approach the critical threshold for species survival (range fluctuation < 20,000 square kilometers, habitat area and quality decline, population size is too small, distribution area fragmentation, etc.). Populations tend to decline, but the rate of decline does not meet the criteria of endangered (population decline within 10 years or 3 generations). 30%); The population is large and does not approach the criteria for a vulnerable or endangered population (number of mature individuals within the population < 10,000 and continue to decline for 10 years or three generations. 10%, population structure imbalance, etc.).
In North America, the red-necked grebe is threatened by ecological pollution such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBS) and pesticides, causing its eggs to become sterile and its egg shells to thin, and reducing its successful reproductive rate. Species are also threatened by changes and degradation of lakes, disturbance by human activities (especially recreational activities) and habitat loss (development of agricultural and road land), and may also be threatened by oil spills, although the impact of oil spills is relatively small. In order to protect the red-necked grebe, it is necessary to conduct population surveys in their breeding areas and monitor their breeding numbers. There is also a need to reduce water traffic encroachment on their habitat and disturbance to their populations. Identifying and protecting key sites outside their breeding grounds and investigating their wintering and non-breeding activities will also contribute to conservation.
Listed as endangered by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
Listed on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (IUCN) 2018 ver 3.1 - Species not at Risk (LC).
Listed in China's "National Key Protected Wildlife List" (2021 ) Level 2.
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