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Great Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus)

The Great Crested Grebe is a large diving waterbird of freshwater lakes, reservoirs, slow-flowing rivers, swamps and sheltered coastal waters. On Australian project sites, clearing or disturbance around vegetated water margins can affect floating nests, incubating adults and dependent young, while changes to water levels can remove nesting cover.

Conservation status

Tasmania, Threatened Species Protection Act 1995: Vulnerable.

Breeding season

Australian birds are resident or nomadic, and breeding is opportunistic rather than tied to one fixed national season. The calendar below is therefore a field-planning guide, not a substitute for a site inspection.

Months are January to December. A site-specific survey is needed because the supplied sources do not provide a fixed Australian breeding season.

  • Breeding and nest building: Pairs can begin forming from January and breed when water level, weather, food and covered nesting habitat are suitable. The supplied sources do not define one fixed Australian breeding window.
  • Egg laying and incubation: Egg laying is opportunistic. Incubation lasts 27 to 29 days and is undertaken by both adults.
  • Young dependent: Young can swim and dive soon after hatching, but adults carry them for up to three weeks, guard them in the fourth week and may care for them for 11 to 16 weeks.
  • Local movement: The Australian subspecies is resident or nomadic, with movements associated with water availability. Birds may be present throughout the year at suitable sites.
  • Highest clearing risk: Risk can occur in any month because Australian birds may be present year round and breeding is opportunistic. Confirm current use immediately before clearing, particularly around open water with emergent vegetation.

Identification

Great Crested Grebes are large, long-necked waterbirds that spend most of their time swimming and diving. Their legs are set far back on the body, so they are poorly adapted to walking on land.

Adults in breeding plumage have a long white neck, dark brown upperparts, reddish brown and black head plumes, and black erectile crests. The sexes are alike in plumage.

In non-breeding plumage, the head plumes are reduced, the face and neck appear whiter, and the bill is pinkish. Juveniles have conspicuous black and white stripes on the head and neck, which may persist into the first winter.

Length: 46 to 51 cm, with some references giving 46 to 56 cm.

Wingspan: 59 to 73 cm.

Weight: 0.9 to 1.5 kg.

Identification: Distinguishing features

The combination of large size, long white neck, dark back, pointed bill and rear-set legs helps separate this species from smaller grebes. In breeding plumage, the reddish brown and black facial plumes and double crest are distinctive.

In winter or non-breeding plumage, compare the bird with other grebes and divers by its relatively large size, long neck, white face and pinkish bill. It commonly dives rather than taking flight when disturbed.

  • Look for a large grebe with a long neck and a short, reduced tail.
  • Check for black and white striped juvenile heads when birds are present with adults.
  • Do not rely on breeding plumes alone, because Australian birds may retain breeding plumage for much of the year.

Identification: Field signs and calls

The species gives a loud barking call described as a repeated rah rah rah, as well as clicking kek notes and deeper growls. Calls can be used with visual observations to locate birds on large or partly screened waterbodies.

Nests are floating or partly suspended structures made from aquatic weeds, reeds, thickets or other water plants. Adults may cover eggs with nest material before diving away when disturbed.

Chicks are precocial and can swim and dive soon after hatching, but adults commonly carry them on their backs for up to three weeks.

  • Search sheltered water margins for floating plant platforms or nests attached to emergent vegetation.
  • Watch for adults repeatedly diving near a nest or carrying striped chicks on the back.
  • Record calls from open water and inspect the nearest vegetated margin before works begin.

Distribution: Australian range

In Australia, the species occurs as the Australasian subspecies, Podiceps cristatus australis. The supplied sources identify Australia and Tasmania as part of its range, but do not provide a state-by-state map, Australian bioregional strongholds or a national Australian population estimate.

The Australian subspecies occurs in southwestern and southeastern Australia and Tasmania. It is described as resident or nomadic, with movements associated with water availability.

For project assessment, treat suitable permanent and semi-permanent waterbodies across the southern Australian climatic zones as potential habitat, including sites outside known breeding records.

  • Check mainland waterbodies and Tasmanian waterbodies where open water is bordered by emergent vegetation.
  • Use local records and targeted site surveys to identify occupied wetlands because the supplied sources do not define Australian bioregional limits.

Distribution: Population information

A global estimate of 920,000 to 1,400,000 birds is reported, but the supplied sources do not give a separate Australian estimate or identify Australian subpopulations.

The species is listed as Least Concern globally. The project listing supplied for this profile identifies the species as Vulnerable in Tasmania and not listed under the EPBC Act.

Global population estimate: 920,000 to 1,400,000 birds.

Global IUCN status: Least Concern.

Australian EPBC Act status: Not listed, according to the supplied project listing.

Tasmanian status: Vulnerable, according to the supplied project listing.

Distribution: Movement

Australian birds are mainly resident or nomadic, rather than undertaking the long-distance seasonal migration described for colder parts of the Eurasian range. Local movements may follow changes in water availability.

Birds can use freshwater lakes and reservoirs, estuaries, lagoons and sheltered coastal waters, particularly when conditions change.

Habitat: Waterbodies

Great Crested Grebes require open water for swimming and diving, together with emergent or overhanging vegetation for concealment and nesting. They use both natural and artificial wetlands.

Suitable habitats include freshwater lakes, reservoirs, artificial waterbodies, slow-flowing rivers, swamps, bays and lagoons. The species can also use brackish water, estuaries and coastal waters.

Breeding habitat consists of shallow open fresh or brackish water with vegetation on the banks or in the water. Birds generally avoid waterbodies that are completely choked with vegetation and often use open water more than smaller grebe species.

  • Inspect lakes, dams, reservoirs, lagoons, slow-flowing river reaches and wetland margins before clearing or access works.
  • Retain an open-water area beside emergent vegetation where practicable.
  • Include artificial waterbodies in habitat assessments, not only natural wetlands.

Habitat: Vegetation and structure

Important structure includes reedbeds, sparse emergent plants, aquatic weeds, bank vegetation and flooded thickets. These features provide nest material, cover and protected access between the nest and open water.

The nest must remain accessible from water because the species is highly aquatic and is poorly adapted to moving over land.

  • Map emergent vegetation, reed margins, flooded shrubs and floating plant mats within and beside the work area.
  • Avoid removing narrow vegetated strips that connect open water with sheltered nesting sites.
  • Treat sudden loss of water-edge cover as a habitat impact even if the open-water area remains.

Habitat: Climate and elevation

The supplied sources describe the species from temperate, subtropical and tropical regions, including Australia and Tasmania, but do not provide an Australian elevation limit.

The species can be resident where conditions are mild and can move when water availability changes. Site-specific assessment should therefore focus on water permanence, depth, vegetation cover and disturbance rather than elevation alone.

Foraging habitat: Diet

Great Crested Grebes forage by diving from the water surface and pursuing prey underwater. They use open water close to vegetated margins and can also forage in estuarine, brackish and coastal waters.

The diet consists mainly of fish, including roach, perch and smelt in documented populations. Other prey include insects, aquatic crustaceans, molluscs, amphibians, small frogs, newts and other aquatic invertebrates.

Adults also ingest feathers and feed feathers to chicks. This behaviour is associated with forming pellets and reducing problems caused by indigestible material and gastric parasites.

Main prey: Fish.

Additional prey: Insects, crustaceans, molluscs, amphibians and aquatic invertebrates.

Foraging habitat: Foraging method

Birds catch prey by diving and swimming underwater. They are reported to forage most during dawn and dusk, when fish may be closer to the surface and diving distances are shorter.

The species may dive to depths of up to 30 metres, although the supplied sources do not give a typical foraging distance from the nest or a home-range size.

Reported maximum dive depth: Up to 30 metres.

Typical high foraging activity: Dawn and dusk.

Foraging range: Home-range size and routine distance from the nest are not reported in the supplied sources.

  • Inspect open water as well as the immediate nest margin when assessing foraging habitat.
  • Avoid assuming that a bird observed near one bank is confined to that bank, because it can travel underwater and use a broad section of the waterbody.
  • Record fish kills, turbidity, aquatic vegetation removal and changes in water depth as potential foraging impacts.

Breeding habitat: Breeding biology

Breeding pairs need sheltered, plant-rich water margins with direct access to open water. Breeding is opportunistic and depends on water level, weather, food supply and the availability of covered nesting habitat.

Pairs are generally monogamous and both adults build the nest, incubate the eggs and care for the young. Breeding can begin when conditions are suitable, rather than following one fixed date across the range.

The nest is a floating or suspended platform made from aquatic weeds, reeds, thickets or other plant material. It is usually positioned among sparse emergent vegetation or other cover and must be reachable directly from the water.

Breeding season: Seasonal and opportunistic; pairs can begin forming from January, but the supplied sources do not define one fixed Australian breeding season.

Broods: Usually one brood, occasionally two.

Clutch size: Usually 3 to 4 eggs; reported range 1 to 9 eggs.

Incubation: 27 to 29 days, by both adults.

Young: Precocial; chicks can swim and dive soon after hatching.

Fledging: About 71 to 79 days.

Age at maturity: Breeding typically begins at about 2 years.

Lifespan: Average lifespan is not reported; the oldest known ringed bird was at least 11 years, 10 months and 5 days.

Breeding habitat: Breeding-site features

Pairs select sites where water plants provide nest material and concealment from disturbance and predators. Higher water levels can flood more vegetation and increase the amount of covered nesting habitat.

Nests may be built quickly, and pairs can make several nesting attempts if earlier nests fail. A single observation of no nest does not rule out breeding nearby.

  • Survey reedbeds, sparse emergent vegetation, flooded thickets and aquatic weed beds from the water edge and from a quiet observation point.
  • Inspect areas where water depth or water-level changes have recently flooded vegetation.
  • Do not enter the water or approach a suspected nest closely unless the survey method and approvals specifically allow it.

Breeding habitat: Dependent young

Adults carry chicks on their backs for up to three weeks after hatching. Parents continue guarding chicks in the fourth week, and young may remain with their parents for 11 to 16 weeks.

Because chicks can leave the nest but remain dependent, post-hatching disturbance can affect birds away from the original nest site.

  • Search open water and sheltered margins for adults carrying striped chicks, not only for nests.
  • Maintain a quiet route between nesting vegetation and nearby feeding water during the period when young are dependent.

Sheltering habitat: Nest and refuge structure

The species has no den, hollow or burrow requirement. Shelter is provided mainly by water, emergent vegetation and floating nest platforms.

Nests are made from aquatic weeds, reeds, thickets, kelp or other water plants and are floating or partly suspended in the water. The true nest may be associated with additional platforms used for resting or copulation.

Water-supported nests reduce access by terrestrial predators. Adults also cover eggs with nest material and dive away when disturbed.

Nest size: Variable; a standard Australian nest size is not provided.

Nest access: Direct access from water is required.

  • Retain emergent vegetation and floating plant structure around occupied or potentially occupied water margins.
  • Keep machinery, people, boats and exclusion fencing away from floating nests and narrow access channels.
  • Inspect floating vegetation and sheltered reed edges before waterway access or vegetation removal.

Sheltering habitat: Adult and chick shelter

Adults shelter and move mainly on the water. Young birds use the nest, emergent vegetation and the adult's back for protection, particularly during the first three weeks after hatching.

There are no reported species-specific requirements for hollows, burrows, ground cover, roost trees or caves.

  • Keep a buffer around vegetated water margins where birds can move between open water and cover.
  • Avoid driving through shallow water or emergent vegetation because chicks may be difficult to see and may not escape quickly.
  • Use quiet observation and binoculars rather than close approach to confirm breeding use.

Threats: Clearing and construction

The main project risks are loss of vegetated water margins, disturbance of nests and dependent young, altered water levels and deterioration of aquatic prey habitat. The supplied sources also identify broader risks from wetland modification, introduced predators and competitors, fishing nets, oil spills and avian influenza.

Removal of reeds, aquatic weeds, flooded thickets or bank vegetation can remove nest material, concealment and access between nests and open water.

Construction noise, people, boats, machinery and repeated approach can cause adults to leave nests or abandon feeding areas. Eggs and young are exposed when adults are displaced.

  • Complete a pre-clearance inspection of all lakes, dams, lagoons, river margins and wetland vegetation within the disturbance footprint.
  • Treat floating nests and adult birds carrying chicks as active breeding evidence requiring immediate protection and advice from the project ecologist.
  • Stage works to avoid occupied nest margins and maintain a quiet connection between nesting cover and open water.

Threats: Hydrology and water quality

Water level changes can alter the amount of flooded cover available for nests. Sudden drawdown can strand or expose floating nests, while excessive vegetation growth can remove the open water needed for diving.

Changes to water quality and fish communities can reduce foraging opportunities. The species is associated with mesotrophic to eutrophic water, but excessive eutrophication can harm other wetland species and aquatic taxa.

  • Assess drawdown, inundation, altered flow, sediment input, turbidity and nutrient changes before works begin.
  • Maintain suitable water access to emergent vegetation where breeding birds are present.
  • Inspect downstream and connected wetlands where project drainage or water-level changes may affect habitat.

Threats: Fragmentation and access

Breaking up wetland margins can separate nesting cover from open water and reduce the number of sheltered sites. Roads, tracks, temporary crossings and repeated vehicle access can increase disturbance at narrow wetland margins.

The species is poorly adapted to walking on land, so loss of direct water access can make otherwise suitable vegetation unusable for nesting.

  • Keep haul roads, temporary crossings, laydown areas and pedestrian routes away from vegetated water margins where practicable.
  • Use clearly marked exclusion zones around nests and avoid creating access routes through reedbeds.
  • Reinspect sites after dewatering, flooding or changes to temporary works.

Threats: Predators, disease and other threats

Eurasian Coots are reported to prey on grebe eggs. Water-supported nests, egg covering and adult distraction behaviour provide some protection, but disturbance can increase exposure.

The supplied sources identify introduced predators, introduced competitors, fishing nets, oil spills and avian influenza as potential threats. No species-specific Australian road mortality rate is provided.

  • Remove or manage project waste and food sources that could attract predators to wetland margins.
  • Prevent fishing lines, nets and other entangling materials from entering occupied waterbodies.
  • Report sick, dead or unusually behaving birds through the project disease response process and do not handle them unless authorised.
  • Use fauna spotter catchers to check temporary water infrastructure, open excavations and netting for trapped birds.

Survey methodology: 1. Daylight wetland searches

Great Crested Grebes are aquatic birds that are easiest to detect on open water. Survey all wetlands and water edges that may be disturbed, including lakes, artificial waterbodies, slow-flowing rivers, swamps, bays, lagoons and brackish areas.

Search from the bank, suitable elevated points and other safe vantage points during daylight.

Scan open water, reed margins and vegetated shallows for swimming, diving, courtship displays, nests and broods.

Record the number of birds, behaviour, plumage, location, waterbody name and likely breeding status.

Give particular attention to shallow open water with emergent vegetation, because the species nests on or beside water and requires vegetation for cover.

Typical body length: 46 to 56 cm

Typical mass: 0.9 to 1.5 kg

Key detection features: Large diving waterbird, long neck, white face and neck, dark back, and chestnut and black head plumes in breeding plumage

Survey methodology: 2. Nest and brood inspection

Inspect reed beds, floating vegetation and sheltered water edges from a distance that does not cause birds to leave the nest or abandon cover.

Look for floating or suspended nests made from aquatic weeds, reeds, thickets or other wetland vegetation.

Search for striped-headed chicks, adults carrying chicks on their backs, and adults feeding young.

Treat an occupied nest, brood or displaying pair as a sensitive location and keep people, vehicles and machinery away from the water edge until the site has been assessed.

Typical clutch size: 3 to 4 eggs

Incubation: 27 to 29 days

Young fledging period: 71 to 79 days

Typical broods: One, with two possible

Survey methodology: 3. Waterbody and movement survey

Survey the full area of each waterbody that could be affected, including connected channels, reed margins and likely movement routes between retained wetlands.

Search both freshwater and brackish habitat, because the species uses lakes, artificial waterbodies, slow-flowing rivers, swamps, bays, lagoons and coastal water.

Repeat the search when water availability or project staging changes if the site remains suitable, because the Australian subspecies can be resident or nomadic with water availability.

Do not rely on terrestrial trapping for this species, because it is a diving waterbird with legs positioned far back on the body and is poorly suited to movement on land.

Australian distribution: Australia, Tasmania and the South Island of New Zealand

Movement pattern in Australia: Resident or nomadic, depending on water availability

Main feeding method: Diving underwater for fish and aquatic invertebrates

Survey methodology: Minimum effort and reporting

  • Complete a pre-clearance inspection of every wetland, water edge and connected waterway within or downstream of the disturbance footprint.
  • Define the survey area, vantage points, dates, start and finish times, weather, water conditions, observers and search duration before fieldwork begins.
  • The supplied documents do not specify a project survey effort in nights, hours, trap nights, transect length or area, so set and justify effort in the fauna survey plan according to the size, accessibility and connectivity of the affected wetlands.
  • Use binoculars or a spotting scope where available, and avoid entering wetlands when an observation can be made from the bank.
  • Submit confirmed records, including nil records where required, to the relevant state wildlife database and provide records to the project environmental officer.
  • Report nests, broods, repeated sightings, injured birds and any disturbance response in the project fauna register.

Before habitat disturbance: Avoid and minimise

Avoid disturbing open water, vegetated margins and connected wetland habitat wherever practicable. Great Crested Grebes are water-dependent, nest on or beside water, and may move between wetlands as water availability changes.

  • Retain open water, shallow vegetated margins, reed beds and other emergent vegetation used for nesting and cover.
  • Retain connected water areas and avoid isolating a wetland from nearby waterways or suitable feeding areas.
  • Keep access tracks, laydown areas, spoil placement and sediment controls out of wetlands and their vegetated edges wherever practicable.
  • Plan work around active nests, chicks and courtship areas, and change the footprint or staging if avoidance is practicable.

Before habitat disturbance: Approvals and planning

Confirm the EPBC Act status and any applicable state or territory requirements before works begin.

The supplied project information identifies the species as not listed under the EPBC Act and Vulnerable in Tasmania, so obtain current advice on Tasmanian permits and any other state or territory approvals that apply at the site.

Include the species in the fauna management plan where suitable wetland habitat is present, even if no bird is recorded during the first inspection.

Stage works so that the fauna spotter catcher can inspect each new work area before machinery enters it.

Before habitat disturbance: Prepare the site

  • Complete the pre-clearance wetland inspection immediately before disturbance of each waterbody, water edge or vegetated wetland margin.
  • Mark retained wetlands, reed beds, nest locations, access limits and no-go areas on plans and on the ground.
  • Use exclusion fencing or other visible controls where they can prevent people, vehicles and machinery entering retained habitat without blocking bird movement between waterbodies.
  • Brief all workers that the species dives and swims rather than readily moving over land, so a bird on the ground may be unable to escape machinery safely.
  • Provide the fauna spotter catcher with current maps, contact details, stop-work authority and the location of the nearest suitable retained wetland.

During habitat disturbance: Daily work controls

Work around wetlands must be controlled each day. The fauna spotter catcher should work ahead of machinery and maintain clear communication with the operator and environmental officer.

  • Inspect exclusion fencing, wetland boundaries, nest markers and access controls before work starts each day.
  • Keep machinery and personnel outside marked no-go areas unless the environmental officer has approved a controlled entry.
  • Prevent sediment, hydrocarbons, rubbish and other pollutants entering water used by grebes.
  • Stop or modify work if birds show repeated alarm, leave a nest, abandon a brood, or are forced into unsafe flight or diving responses.
  • Maintain a daily record of weather, water conditions, work areas inspected, birds seen, controls in place and any corrective action.

During habitat disturbance: Fauna spotter catcher and machinery

  • Position the fauna spotter catcher where the active work face, access route and adjacent wetland can be seen safely.
  • Establish a direct stop signal or radio call before machinery starts, and require the operator to stop immediately when directed.
  • Move machinery only after the fauna spotter catcher has cleared the next work area and checked water edges, vegetation and ground between the work area and retained habitat.
  • Do not chase, corner, capture or handle a grebe unless the person is authorised and the action is permitted under the relevant approval or permit.
  • Keep observers and machinery away from active nests and broods, because disturbance can expose eggs or young to predators and weather.

During habitat disturbance: Animal found or injured

  • Stop work near the bird and allow it to move away without pursuit if it is mobile and can reach retained water safely.
  • If capture is necessary, use only an appropriately authorised and trained wildlife handler, minimise handling time, and do not attempt to make the bird walk or fly.
  • Relocate a captured bird only to nearby suitable retained wetland habitat, after confirming that the release site has open water, cover and no immediate work activity.
  • Keep the bird quiet and contained in a suitable ventilated carrier while arranging advice from the environmental officer or wildlife authority.
  • Take an injured bird to a veterinarian or authorised wildlife carer as soon as practicable, and record the location, condition, action and receiving facility.
  • Treat a nest, eggs, chicks or adult showing injury as a stop-work matter until the fauna spotter catcher and environmental officer have assessed it.

During habitat disturbance: Stop-work triggers and records

  • Stop work if a grebe, nest, egg or chick is within the active work area or could be affected by the activity.
  • Stop work if sediment, fuel or another pollutant enters retained water or if controls fail and wetland habitat is at risk.
  • Record species identification, number, age class where known, behaviour, coordinates, photographs, response to work, handler details, relocation site and any approval or permit reference.
  • Notify the project environmental officer and relevant wildlife authority when an injury, mortality, nest disturbance, unauthorised handling or repeated displacement occurs.

After habitat disturbance: Post-clearance checks

Post-clearance checks should confirm that no bird, nest or brood has been left in the work area and that retained wetlands remain usable. Monitoring should focus on water quality, wetland vegetation and continued bird use.

  • Inspect the completed work area, wetland edge, access routes and retained habitat for birds, nests, eggs, chicks, carcasses and injury before the area is released from fauna supervision.
  • Check that exclusion fencing, sediment controls and no-go markers remain in place where habitat is retained.
  • Remove temporary controls only when the environmental officer confirms that the work area is stable and no further fauna risk remains.
  • Record all post-clearance findings, including nil findings, and link them to the relevant work area and date.

After habitat disturbance: Monitoring and reporting

  • Monitor retained and rehabilitated waterbodies for grebe presence, nesting, broods, disturbance and changes in water availability during the project monitoring period.
  • Use the same observation points and recording fields where practicable so changes in bird use can be compared over time.
  • Report any mortality, injury, nest failure linked to the works, water pollution or loss of wetland vegetation to the project environmental officer and relevant regulator where required.
  • Submit verified project records to the relevant state wildlife database and retain photographs, coordinates, survey effort and incident records in the project file.

After habitat disturbance: Residual impacts and offsets

  • Reassess residual impacts if open water, nesting vegetation or wetland connectivity cannot be retained.
  • Apply any approved offset, compensatory habitat or rehabilitation requirement in accordance with the applicable approval and state or territory requirements.
  • Do not treat an absence of birds during one inspection as evidence that a wetland is unimportant, because the Australian subspecies may move in response to water availability.

Rehabilitation actions: Wetland and vegetation restoration

Rehabilitation should recreate functioning wetland habitat, not only a vegetated project boundary. The target is open or shallow water with emergent vegetation, sheltered nesting areas and safe connections to retained water.

  • Reinstate shallow open water and gently vegetated margins where these features were removed for the works.
  • Plant or retain locally appropriate native reeds, rushes and other emergent wetland plants that provide nest material and cover.
  • Maintain a mix of open water and vegetation, because the species uses open water for swimming, diving and feeding and vegetation for nesting.
  • Avoid allowing rehabilitation planting to form a completely closed or densely overgrown waterbody.

Rehabilitation actions: Water quality, predators and fire

  • Control sediment, weeds, nutrients, hydrocarbons and other pollutants entering rehabilitated waterbodies.
  • Manage introduced predators and other disturbances in accordance with the approved site management plan, with particular attention to nests and chicks.
  • Plan fire management so that reed beds, emergent vegetation and other nesting cover are not removed at a sensitive time identified by the project ecologist.
  • Maintain water levels and wetland connections where practicable, because water availability influences movement by the Australian subspecies.

Rehabilitation actions: Habitat features and monitoring

  • Reinstate natural wetland vegetation and floating or emergent nesting structure where it was removed, rather than relying on terrestrial fauna features such as logs, rocks or tree hollows.
  • Use nest platforms or nest boxes only where a site-specific wetland assessment supports them and the relevant authority approves their use; the supplied documents do not establish a nest-box requirement for this species.
  • Monitor rehabilitated wetlands for open-water area, emergent vegetation cover, water quality, weed presence, predator activity and Great Crested Grebe use.
  • Use nesting, courtship, feeding, brood survival and repeated occupancy as species-specific indicators where birds return to the site.
  • Set project-specific completion criteria and monitoring duration in the rehabilitation plan, because the supplied documents do not provide numerical restoration targets.

Sources