Podiceps nigricollis Black Necked Grebe Birds Aves Podicipediformes

Description

Origin : Italy

Age : adult

Stuffed Black-Necked Grebe Podiceps nigricollis Birds Aves Podicipediformes Podicipedidae.
Family: Podicipediformes.
Common name: Black-Necked Grebe or Eared Grebe.

The Black-Necked Grebe (Podiceps nigricollis Brehm, 1831) is a bird of the Podicipedidae family.
The name of the genus derives from the Latin podicis (backside) and pedis (foot), with reference to the position of the legs in relation to the body, while the specific epithet nigricollis derives from niger (black) and collum (neck).
The Black-Necked Grebe is 28–34 cm long. It winters mostly on the Pacific coast and in the Mediterranean area.
Like all grebes, it lives and nests on the edges of aquifer basins in the vegetation-rich areas of freshwater lakes, since its legs, placed far back, do not allow it to walk well. It usually lays two eggs and the spotted young are carried on the adult's back.
It is an excellent swimmer and diver and chases its prey underwater, feeding mainly on fish, insects and aquatic larvae. It prefers to escape danger by diving underwater rather than flying, although it can soar easily.