📸 PhotoPhoto: caroline legg · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons Source
Great Crested Grebe
Podiceps cristatus (Great Crested Grebe · カンムリカイツブリ)
💡 Everyday Comparisons for Size, Mass & Speed
- 💡 Its body length of about 49–61 cm is about 2/3 the length of a long umbrella (about 80 cm) (Comparison).
- 💡 In winter, it can be seen at river estuaries, coasts, and lakes nationwide, and flocks of hundreds winter along the coast (National List of Species of Korea).
Reference standards: coach bus ~12 m, mid-size car ~4.9 m, compact car ~1 t, basketball hoop 3.05 m, credit card 8.56 cm.
Site-computed relative index from recorded values; not a formal scientific metric.
📖 1. Overview
The Great Crested Grebe is the largest grebe in Korea, a winter visitor that comes to river estuaries, coasts, and lakes in winter, with some breeding as resident birds.
🦴 2. Anatomy & Morphology
It has a long neck, a blackish-pink bill, and black ear tufts on the head. During the breeding season, long black plumes rise from the crown and the cheeks turn reddish-brown.
🔍 3. Ecology & Behavior
It dives to catch mainly large fish and also eats insects, crustaceans, and mollusks. It builds a floating nest of water plants, and chicks can be seen riding on their parents' backs.
🇰🇷 4. Connection to Korea
It is a common winter visitor seen in river estuaries, coasts, and lakes nationwide, and a rare resident breeder in some areas. In winter, flocks of hundreds form along the coast.
📚 Sources & References
- • IUCN Red List LC (2019) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22696602/154250080
- • IUCN Red List category LC — latest assessment at iucnredlist.org
- • doi.org — avilist.v2026
- • iucnredlist.org — 154250080
- • 국가생물종목록(국립생물자원관) ktsn 120000001504 — https://species.nibr.go.kr/home/mainHome.do?cont_link=009&subMenu=009002&contCd=009002&ktsn=120000001504
- • wikidata.org — Q25422
- • commons.wikimedia.org — File:Great Crested Grebe (52909695022).jpg
- • animaldiversity.org — Podiceps cristatus
- • species.nibr.go.kr — mainHome.do
- • Silhouette: PhyloPic — Ferran Sayol · CC0 1.0
Recorded dimensions are widely cited representative estimates from public literature and may vary by study or specimen.