Red-necked Grebe
(Podiceps grisegena)

Overview

Summary

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The Red-necked Grebe breeds on freshwater lakes and ponds across the western boreal forest and prairie parklands and winters primarily on Canada’s Atlantic and Pacific coastlines. Small numbers also winter on the Great Lakes and breed across Ontario and into southwestern Quebec (Stout and Nuechterlein 1999); the species appears to be expanding eastward (Lapointe 1996). The Red-necked Grebe is not well-monitored in Canada. However, available results suggest a moderate increase in abundance relative to 1970, though drawbacks to the various survey results means the reliability of this assessment is considered low. This species has been identified as a priority for conservation and/or stewardship in one or more Bird Conservation Region Strategies in Canada.

Designations

Population status

Population estimate

Distribution maps

• Birds of North America Online

Migration strategy, occurrence

Responsibility for conservation of world population

Conservation and management

A widespread and adaptable species, able to nest in many different habitats and eat a variety of foods, the Red-necked Grebe is facing fewer conservation issues than many other water birds.  However, it is susceptible to pesticides due to its position in the aquatic food chain (Stout and Nuechterlein 1999). Habitat loss from the draining of prairie potholes has threatened the species in the past; habitat degradation and disturbance from recreational activities and shoreline development are current issues (Stout and Nuechterlein 1999). Red-necked Grebes are vulnerable to marine pollution on their wintering grounds, oil spills, and mortality from entanglement in commercial fishing nets (Stout and Nuechterlein 1999).

Bird conservation region strategies

Environment and Climate Change Canada and partners have developed Bird Conservation Region Strategies in each of Canada’s Bird Conservation Regions (BCRs). In these strategies, selected species are identified as priorities for one or more of the following reasons:

• conservation concerns (i.e., species vulnerable due to population size, distribution, population trend, abundance, or threats)
• stewardship responsibilities (i.e., species that typify the regional avifauna or have a large proportion of their range or population in the sub-region)
• management concerns (i.e., species that require ongoing management because of their socio-economic importance as game species, or because of their impacts on other species or habitats)
• other concerns (i.e., species deemed a priority by regional experts for other reasons than those listed above or because they are listed as species at risk or concern at the provincial level)

Select any of the sub-regions below to view the BCR strategy for additional details.

References

• Lapointe, J. 1996. Red-necked Grebe. pp. 218-219 in: The Breeding Birds of Québec: Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Southern Québec. Gauthier and Y. Aubry, Eds. Association québecoise des groupes d'ornithologues, Province of Québec Society for the Protection of Birds, Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment Canada, Québec Region. Montréal, QC. Lapointe, J. 1996. Red-necked Grebe. pp. 218-219 in: The Breeding Birds of Québec: Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Southern Québec. Gauthier and Y. Aubry, Eds. Association québecoise des groupes d'ornithologues, Province of Québec Society for the Protection of Birds, Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment Canada, Québec Region. Montréal, QC. (Link)
• Stout, B.E. and G.L. Nuechterlein. 1999. Red-necked Grebe (Podiceps grisegena), The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, Ed.). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Stout, B.E. and G.L. Nuechterlein. 1999. Red-necked Grebe (Podiceps grisegena), The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, Ed.). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. (Link)