Great crested grebe

Introduction: Great crested grebes (Podiceps cristatus) inhabit inland lakes, pans and dams but mostly bodies of permanent deep water. Occasionally they frequent salt pans, rarely the sea. Roosts and rests on the water during daylight hours.

Distribution: Etosha National Park, Kunene River Mouth, Swakopmund and Walvis Bay, Caprivi.

Diet: Forages whilst swimming, diving for food or from the surface. Eats mostly small fish, aquatic insects, tadpoles and crustaceans.

Description: Cristatus is Latin for 'crested' a reference to curved ear tippets and black crown. Males are slightly larger than females and have a more brightly coloured plumage.

Breeding: A female lays between 2 and 7 eggs on a reed platform. The incubation period is up to 30 days.

Size: 50cm.

Weight: 600g.