Waterbirds · Netherlands
Great Crested Grebe
Fuut · Podiceps cristatus
Through my lens
Known for its spring courtship dance
In the breeding season the Great Crested Grebe wears a black crest and frills of orange and black around its head. Add the long, slim neck and the dagger of a bill and it is one of the easiest water birds to recognise.
In early spring pairs court each other face to face, shaking their heads, diving, and sometimes rising out of the water breast to breast with beakfuls of weed. That last part is known as the weed dance.
They dive for fish and build floating nests in the reeds. The striped chicks ride on their parents' backs for the first weeks. In the 19th century grebes were shot in large numbers for their feathers. Today they are a common sight on lakes again.
Selected work
Featured photographs
