Red-Necked Grebe Diet and Size: Feeding Habits, Predators, and Measurements

The Red-Necked Grebe takes its name from their red neck which is visible during the breeding season. When in their winter plumage, they look very similar to the Great Crested Grebe except Red-Necked Grebes have thicker necks and stout dark bills laced with yellow at the base of the bill.

They are primarily winter visitors to UK shores and can often be spotted around the south and eastern coastal regions of England and up into eastern Scotland.

In this article we’ll take a close look at the Red-Necked Grebes diet, breeding habits, size and weight and much more. Keep reading to find out more about this interesting species.

The Dietary Habits Of The Red-Necked Grebe

The diet of the Red-Necked Grebe mainly consists of fish, but they also eat a wide range of other aquatic life forms.

What Does A Red-Necked Grebe Eat?

Red-Necked Grebes mainly eat small fish which make up most of their diet. They also eat aquatic insects, crustaceans and molluscs. 

If food sources are in short supply, they will also eat tadpoles and young frogs as well.

What To Feed A Baby Red-Necked Grebe? 

They feed their chicks on a similar diet although when the chicks are quite young, the parents bring them smaller, softer food items like molluscs, insects and small fish.

As the chicks grow, they get fed the same food as their parents including larger fish and crustaceans and even frogs and crayfish.

Breeding Habits Of Red-Necked Grebes

The breeding habits of Red-Necked Grebes are fascinating and involve intricate courtship rituals where both birds face each other and shake their heads fast whilst making loud calls. The pair will also present each other with aquatic plants. Both of them rise out of the water holding a piece of weed in their bills and often perform a synchronised dance.

They will also swim together, side by side at a fast speed often splashing water as they go. These displays help to establish a strong bond between the pair which is crucial for successful breeding and raising chicks.

Do Red-Necked Grebes Mate For Life?

While Red-Necked Grebes don’t typically mate for life, they do form strong season-long bonds. This means they remain monogamous throughout that particular breeding season.

The following year they will form a new season-long monogamous relationship.

The Size & Weight Of Red-Necked Grebes

Now let’s look at the dimensions of the Red-Necked Grebe for the purposes of identification. They are medium sized Grebes and are slightly smaller than Great Crested Grebes.

How Much Does A Red-Necked Grebe Weigh?

The weight of an average adult Red-Necked Grebe is around 700 to 900 grams. Males are typically the larger of the two although there’s not much difference in size.

How Big Is A Red-Necked Grebe?

An adult Red-Necked Grebe is around 40 to 46 cm in length and has a wingspan of around 77 to 85 cm. Which is similar to the size of the Long-Tailed Duck, another winter visitor to the UK.

Are Red-Necked Grebes Under Threat?

Red-Necked Grebes are not currently considered globally threatened, but they do face certain risks from natural predators and human activities. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) the Red-Necked Grebe is classified as a species of least concern.

Which means that overall, they have a stable population and are not in any immediate threat of extinction. Having said that, Red-Necked Grebes face the threat of habitat loss due to human activities including wetland drainage, development and pollution.

Climate change can also impact on water levels especially in breeding areas which could affect habitat and food availability.

What Eats A Red-Necked Grebe?

Red-Necked Grebes also face predation from various species at different stages of their life cycle. Birds of prey like Eagles and Hawks often prey on adult Red-Necked Grebes especially when they are at their most vulnerable when in the water.

Other predatory birds like Gulls, Crows, Ravens and raptors like Hawks and Eagles are also likely to prey on eggs and young chicks. Red-Necked Grebes also face predation from foxes, raccoons, rats and minks who will take eggs, chicks and even adult birds as well.

In some areas, large fish and other aquatic predators can also take adults and chicks.

Where Can I See Red-Necked Grebes In The UK?

Red-Necked Grebes are a rare sight in the UK and can typically only be seen during the winter months and migration periods. They are sometimes reported to have been spotted in the following places;

East Anglia

• The Norfolk Coast
• The Suffolk Coast
• RSPB Minsmere (Suffolk)
• The Norfolk Broads

The South Coast Of England

• Poole Harbour (Dorset)
• The Solent (Hampshire)

Scotland

• The Moray Firth
• The Firth of Forth

Northern Ireland

• Lough Neagh
• Strangford lough

Red-Necked Grebes can also be spotted inland during migration or in winter at sites like;

• Rutland Water (Leicestershire)
•  Chew valley Lake (Somerset)

The best chance a birdwatcher has of spotting a Red-Necked Grebe in the UK is during the winter. They tend to favour the coastal areas listed above but can also sometimes be spotted on large bodies of inland waters.

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