Black-necked Grebe
Podiceps nigricollis · Corcodel cu gât negru
A small, dark grebe of lowland wetlands, striking in breeding plumage with golden ear-tufts and a red eye.
At a glance
- Status in Romania
- Resident
- Habitat
- Wetland
- Activity
- Morning · Daytime · Evening
- Diet
- Aquatic invertebrates and small fish taken by diving.
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)
- Photography difficulty
- Moderate
Photograph this species
- Best months
- All year
- Best time / activity
- Morning · Daytime · Evening
- Photography difficulty
- Moderate
- Where to look
- Lowland lakes and ponds with rich vegetation; in winter look on larger unfrozen waters.
Months confirmed by a Romanian source. General guidance, not local sightings.
Photography Guide
Practical starting points based on the species’ behaviour and habitat, not fixed rules.
- Where and how to look
- Lowland lakes and ponds with rich vegetation; in winter look on larger unfrozen waters.
- Best time / activity
- Morning · Daytime · Evening
- Behaviour to anticipate
- Diving and surfacing in the same general area; grebes often return to a favoured patch.
- Photography difficulty
- Moderate
- Starting shutter speed
- Around 1/1000 sec on the water; 1/2000 sec for wing-flapping.
- Fieldcraft
- A low position at the water's edge gives the most natural portraits.
- Ethics
- Do not feed birds to attract them, and avoid flushing resting or feeding flocks.
Identification
Habitat
Distribution
Approximate range in Romania
Diet
Behaviour
Seasonality in Romania
Breeds in Romania and is also present outside the breeding season, with an influx of birds from the north and a southward movement of local breeders.
Presence
Breeding
Migration
Wintering
About this data
Source-verified months inform the seasonal filters. Local timing can vary. Unconfirmed months do not imply absence. Presence verification is separate from monthly status; each month's details identify its verification. Lighter bands mark estimated timing. Empty event rows mean no event is recorded, not confirmed absence.