Black-necked Grebe

Open encyclopedia reference

The black-necked grebe or eared grebe (Podiceps nigricollis) is a member of the grebe family of water birds. It was described in 1831 by Christian Ludwig Brehm. Its breeding plumage features distinctive ochre-coloured feathers which extend behind its eye and over its ear coverts. The rest of the upper parts, including the head, neck, and breast, are coloured black to blackish brown. The flanks are tawny rufous to maroon-chestnut, and the abdomen is white. In its non-breeding plumage, this bird has greyish-black upper parts, including the top of the head and a vertical stripe on the back of the neck. The flanks are also greyish-black. The rest of the body is a white or whitish colour. The juvenile has more brown in its darker areas. This species is present in parts of Africa, Eurasia, and the Americas. The black-necked grebe uses multiple foraging techniques. Insects, which make up the majority of this bird's diet, are caught either on the surface of the water or when they are in flight; this species occasionally practices foliage gleaning.

Wikipedia contributors, Black-necked grebe; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T07:02:19.868730+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.

Identity & source status

Scientific name

Podiceps nigricollis C. L. Brehm, 1831

Name authority

C. L. Brehm, 1831

Common name

Black-necked Grebe

Rank

species

Accepted status

accepted

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Aves

Order

Podicipediformes

Family

Podicipedidae

Genus

Podiceps

Extinction status

Recorded extant

Classification family tree

Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.

1. domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
2. kingdomAnimalia
3. phylumChordata
4. subphylumVertebrata
5. infraphylumGnathostomata
6. parvphylumOsteichthyes
7. megaclassTetrapoda
8. classAves
9. orderPodicipediformes
10. familyPodicipedidae Bonaparte, 1831
11. genusPodiceps Latham, 1787
12. speciesPodiceps nigricollis C. L. Brehm, 1831

Close classified relatives

These entries share the source’s genus, Podiceps. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.

Browse 21 records assigned to Podicipedidae.

Documented distribution

Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.

Source literature & publication evidence

References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.

1. Brehm, & Christian Ludwig. (1831). Handbuch Der Naturgeschichte Aller Vögel Deutschlands, Worin Den Sorgfältigsten Untersuchungen Und Den Genauesten Beobachtungen Mehr Als 900 Einheimische Vögel-Gattungen Zur Begründung Einer Ganz Neuen Ansicht Und Behandlung Ihrer Naturgeschichte ... Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references

Origins, evidence & remaining research

Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.

Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record.

Dataset citation & attribution

This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11

Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.

Stable key: col:4KPP4. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.