the black-necked grebe (podiceps nigricollis), known in north america as the eared grebe , is a member of the grebe family of water birds .
it occurs on every continent except australia and antarctica .
both common names for this species refer to features visible when the bird is in its breeding plumage; in such plumage , it has an all-black neck and a spray of golden plumes on each side of its head .
the name "eared grebe" was in use nearly a century before the name "black-necked grebe" .
the latter was first used in 1912 by ernst hartert , in an effort to bring the common name of the species in line with its scientific name .
[3] the genus name of this speciespodicepscomes from two latin words: podicis , meaning "vent" or "anus" and pes meaning "foot" .
[4] this is a reference to the attachment point of the bird's legsat the extreme back end of its body .
the specific epithet nigricollis is latin for "black-necked": niger means "black" and collis means "neck" .
[5]the black-necked grebe is 2834 centimetres (1113 in) long .
the adult is unmistakable in summer with a black head and neck and yellow ear tufts .
in winter , this small grebe is white with a poorly defined black cap , which distinguishes it from the crisper-looking slavonian grebe (horned grebe in america) .
in courtship the male gives a mellow poo-ee-chk call to the female .
this species breeds in vegetated areas of freshwater lakes across europe , asia , africa , northern south america and the southwest and western united states .
the north american subspecies , p .
n .
californicus is known as the eared grebe (or "eared diver") .
these birds migrate in winter , mostly to the pacific coast where they range south to el salvador on a regular basis; vagrants may occur as far as costa rica .
black-necked grebes of the nominate subspecies p .
n .
nigricollis in the cooler temperate regions of the old world also winter further south , with many european birds moving to the mediterranean area .
the isolated southern african race , p .
n .
gurneyi is sedentary .
it was named by south african ornithologist and author austin roberts in honour of the english bankers and amateur ornithologists john henry gurney and john henry gurney jr .
sadly the large breeding population in county roscommon , ireland discovered about 1915 fell victim to a drainage scheme in the late 1930s; at its peak there were an estimated 250 pairs .
the black-necked grebe is an excellent swimmer and diver , and pursues its prey underwater , eating mostly fish as well as small crustaceans , aquatic insects and larvae .
it prefers to escape danger by diving rather than flying , although it can easily rise from the water .
like all grebes , the black-necked grebe nests on the water's edge , since its legs are set very far back and it cannot walk well .
usually two eggs are laid , and the striped young are sometimes carried on the adult's back .
interestingly , the eared grebe is essentially flightless for most of the year (9 to 10 months), and serves as an example of one of the most inefficient flier among avifauna .
generally , this bird avoids flying at all costs and reserves long distance flight exclusively for migration .
however , when migrating , it will travel as much as 6,000 kilometres (3,700 mi) to reach prosperous areas which are exploited by few other species .
