General Description

Upper body dark-brown, underparts white, eyes red. Bill long and pointed. When breeding: crest or tuft of black feathers on top of head and red-brown feathers (ruff) around neck. Body up to 50 cm long.

Biology

Great Crested Grebes eat their feathers to aid in digestion. They dive underwater to catch large fish, crustaceans and molluscs and may sometimes eat amphibians and insects.

Distribution

Western and eastern mainland Australia and Tasmania.

Habitat

Deep freshwater ponds and open wetlands, also coastal saltwater areas.

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