[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":281},["ShallowReactive",2],{"families_en:\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fpogankovye":3,"alt-locale:families_en:\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fpogankovye":136,"section-listing:families_en:\u002Fsemeystva":137,"section-listing:disabled":274,"related-covers:en:\u002Fsemeystva|\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fpastushkovye|\u002Fopredelitel":275},{"id":4,"title":5,"body":6,"coverImage":96,"description":97,"extension":98,"faq":99,"imagePrompt":109,"latinName":20,"meta":110,"navigation":111,"order":112,"pageType":113,"path":114,"publishedAt":115,"readingMinutes":116,"relatedLinks":117,"seo":130,"sitemap":133,"stem":134,"taxonRank":113,"updatedAt":112,"__hash__":135},"families_en\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fpogankovye.md","Grebes (Podicipedidae)",{"type":7,"value":8,"toc":88},"minimark",[9,14,26,33,37,44,47,51,73,77],[10,11,13],"h2",{"id":12},"what-makes-podicipedidae-a-family","What makes Podicipedidae a family",[15,16,17,21,22,25],"p",{},[18,19,20],"strong",{},"Podicipedidae",", the grebe family, comprises around 22 species of freshwater diving birds found on lakes, ponds, and slow-moving rivers across most of the world. Grebes are built almost entirely for life on and under the water: their toes are individually ",[18,23,24],{},"lobed"," rather than webbed like a duck's, and their legs sit unusually far back on the body, an arrangement that maximizes underwater propulsion but makes walking on land so awkward that most species come ashore only reluctantly, if at all, outside of nesting.",[15,27,28,29,32],{},"This intense specialization for diving extends to the family's diet, dominated by fish and aquatic invertebrates caught during dives that can last well over a minute in larger species, and to a distinctive habit shared across the family: grebes routinely eat their own ",[18,30,31],{},"feathers",", and feed feathers to their chicks, forming a matted plug in the stomach believed to protect the gut lining from sharp fish bones and to slow the passage of indigestible material.",[10,34,36],{"id":35},"distinctive-traits-across-the-family","Distinctive traits across the family",[15,38,39,40,43],{},"Grebes typically show marked ",[18,41,42],{},"seasonal plumage change",", with plain grey-brown non-breeding plumage giving way to often striking breeding-season ornaments — crests, ear-tufts, or colored neck ruffs — that play a central role in the family's elaborate courtship displays. These displays, involving synchronized postures and mutual head-shaking, rank among the most visually distinctive courtship rituals of any freshwater bird family.",[15,45,46],{},"Grebe nests are floating platforms of waterweed anchored to standing vegetation, an adaptation that lets the nest rise and fall safely with changing water levels. Chicks are precocial, able to swim within hours of hatching, but are frequently carried tucked into a parent's back plumage during their first days, both for warmth and protection, an image widely recognized as one of the more endearing sights on any lake where grebes breed.",[10,48,50],{"id":49},"species-in-this-family","Species in this family",[15,52,53,54,59,60,64,65,59,69,72],{},"This atlas currently covers two members of Podicipedidae: the ",[55,56,58],"a",{"href":57},"\u002Fen\u002Fvidy-ptic\u002Fvidy\u002Fmalaya-poganka","little grebe"," (",[61,62,63],"em",{},"Tachybaptus ruficollis","), the smallest and most compact species in the family, often first detected by its distinctive rapid, whinnying trill from deep within waterside vegetation rather than by sight; and the ",[55,66,68],{"href":67},"\u002Fen\u002Fvidy-ptic\u002Fvidy\u002Fbolshaya-poganka","great crested grebe",[61,70,71],{},"Podiceps cristatus","), the largest grebe across most of its Eurasian range, instantly recognizable in breeding plumage by its double dark crest and chestnut-and-black head ruff, and famous for its elaborate mutual courtship dance. Further Podicipedidae species will be added to the catalogue over time.",[10,74,76],{"id":75},"where-and-when-to-watch-this-family","Where and when to watch this family",[15,78,79,80,83,84,87],{},"Grebes are best looked for on calm freshwater lakes, ponds, and slow rivers with a fringe of reed or other emergent vegetation, which provides both nesting material and cover. Courtship displays are most visible in ",[18,81,82],{},"early spring",", as pairs establish territories and begin nest-building, while family groups with chicks riding on a parent's back are a characteristic sight through ",[18,85,86],{},"late spring and summer",". Outside the breeding season, grebes become considerably less conspicuous, often favoring larger, more open bodies of water and diving frequently enough to make sustained observation more challenging than during the display-heavy breeding period.",{"title":89,"searchDepth":90,"depth":90,"links":91},"",2,[92,93,94,95],{"id":12,"depth":90,"text":13},{"id":35,"depth":90,"text":36},{"id":49,"depth":90,"text":50},{"id":75,"depth":90,"text":76},"\u002Fimages\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fpogankovye.png","The grebe family: highly specialized freshwater diving birds with lobed toes, elaborate courtship displays, and chicks that ride on their parents' backs while swimming.","md",[100,103,106],{"q":101,"a":102},"What makes grebes different from ducks, even though both swim on the same lakes?","Unlike ducks, grebes have individually lobed toes rather than fully webbed feet, and their legs are set unusually far back on the body, an arrangement that makes them extremely efficient underwater swimmers and divers but leaves them clumsy and largely helpless walking on land, to the point that most grebes rarely come ashore at all outside of nesting.",{"q":104,"a":105},"Why do grebe chicks ride on their parents' backs?","Grebe chicks are precocial and can swim almost immediately after hatching, but riding tucked into a parent's back feathers keeps them warm, hidden from predators approaching from below or the surface, and safely out of the water during the vulnerable first days of life, while still allowing the adult to dive and continue feeding with the chick along for the ride.",{"q":107,"a":108},"What is the grebe courtship dance?","Several grebe species, most famously the great crested grebe, perform elaborate mutual courtship displays involving synchronized head-shaking, mirrored postures, and — in the well-known 'weed dance' — both birds diving to gather waterweed and rising up the water surface breast-to-breast presenting it to each other, a ritual believed to strengthen and test the pair bond ahead of breeding.","Photorealistic wildlife photography, a great crested grebe pair performing their mutual head-shaking courtship display face to face on a calm reed-fringed lake, ornate double crest and chestnut-and-black head ruff raised on both birds, a smaller little grebe visible diving in the background, sharp focus on the near bird's eye, soft-focus background of still water and reed stems, warm low early morning light reflecting off the surface, shallow depth of field, telephoto lens compression, 16:9",{},true,null,"family","\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fpogankovye","07.08.2026",1,[118,122,126],{"label":119,"path":120,"description":121},"Bird families","\u002Fsemeystva","Species grouped by taxonomic family",{"label":123,"path":124,"description":125},"Rails, Crakes, and Coots (Rallidae)","\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fpastushkovye","Another wetland family often sharing the same lakes and reed beds",{"label":127,"path":128,"description":129},"Bird identifier","\u002Fopredelitel","Identify a bird you've seen by color, size, beak shape, habitat, and season",{"title":131,"description":132},"Grebes (Podicipedidae) — traits and species","Podicipedidae, the grebe family: specialized freshwater divers with lobed toes and elaborate courtship displays. Traits, species, and where to find them.",{"loc":114},"semeystva\u002Fpogankovye","V6FqkTcQOE5rwNJxmQxQmP296vndC0HCj9flNDaMvJo",{"ru":111,"es":111},[138,144,149,154,159,164,165,170,175,180,185,190,195,200,205,210,215,219,224,229,234,239,244,249,254,259,264,269],{"title":139,"description":140,"path":141,"coverImage":142,"publishedAt":143,"order":112},"Buntings (Emberizidae)","The bunting family: sturdy, seed-eating farmland and open-country songbirds represented here by the vividly yellow-headed yellowhammer, one of Europe's most familiar hedgerow singers.","\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fovsyankovye","\u002Fimages\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fovsyankovye.png","13.07.2026",{"title":145,"description":146,"path":147,"coverImage":148,"publishedAt":143,"order":112},"Crows, Ravens, and Allies (Corvidae)","The crow family: some of the most intelligent birds on Earth, from the tiny, sociable jackdaw to the giant common raven, united by cognitive sophistication and remarkable behavioral flexibility.","\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fvranovye","\u002Fimages\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fvranovye.png",{"title":150,"description":151,"path":152,"coverImage":153,"publishedAt":143,"order":112},"Cuckoos (Cuculidae)","The cuckoo family: slender, long-tailed birds best known for the common cuckoo's remarkable brood-parasitic lifestyle, tricking other species into raising its young.","\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fkukushkovye","\u002Fimages\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fkukushkovye.png",{"title":155,"description":156,"path":157,"coverImage":158,"publishedAt":143,"order":112},"Falcons (Falconidae)","The falcon family: fast, direct-flying birds of prey with a distinctive hooked, tomial-toothed beak, found on every continent except Antarctica.","\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fsokolinye","\u002Fimages\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fsokolinye.png",{"title":160,"description":161,"path":162,"coverImage":163,"publishedAt":143,"order":112},"Finches (Fringillidae)","The true finch family: small, seed-eating songbirds with conical beaks ranging from the everyday chaffinch to the specialized, cone-prying red crossbill.","\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fvjurkovye","\u002Fimages\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fvjurkovye.png",{"title":5,"description":97,"path":114,"coverImage":96,"publishedAt":115,"order":112},{"title":166,"description":167,"path":168,"coverImage":169,"publishedAt":143,"order":112},"Gulls (Laridae)","The gull family: adaptable, highly social waterbirds ranging from the small, brown-hooded black-headed gull to the larger, plain-billed common gull, equally at home on coasts and inland waters.","\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fchaykovye","\u002Fimages\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fchaykovye.png",{"title":171,"description":172,"path":173,"coverImage":174,"publishedAt":143,"order":112},"Hawks, Eagles, and Kites (Accipitridae)","The largest family of diurnal birds of prey, spanning soaring buzzards, forest-hunting goshawks, massive fish eagles, and scavenging kites united by a hooked beak and taloned feet.","\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fyastrebinye","\u002Fimages\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fyastrebinye.png",{"title":176,"description":177,"path":178,"coverImage":179,"publishedAt":143,"order":112},"Herons (Ardeidae)","The heron family: patient, statuesque wetland hunters with a coiled S-shaped neck and dagger-like bill, epitomized by the grey heron's motionless watch at the water's edge.","\u002Fsemeystva\u002Ftsaplevye","\u002Fimages\u002Fsemeystva\u002Ftsaplevye.png",{"title":181,"description":182,"path":183,"coverImage":184,"publishedAt":143,"order":112},"Hoopoes (Upupidae)","A small family built around a single unmistakable species, the Eurasian hoopoe, known for its fan-like crest, curved probing beak, and unusual glandular nest defenses.","\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fudodovye","\u002Fimages\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fudodovye.png",{"title":186,"description":187,"path":188,"coverImage":189,"publishedAt":143,"order":112},"Larks (Alaudidae)","The lark family: streaked, ground-nesting birds of open farmland and grassland, best known for the extraordinary sustained soaring song-flight of the Eurasian skylark.","\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fzhavoronkovye","\u002Fimages\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fzhavoronkovye.png",{"title":191,"description":192,"path":193,"coverImage":194,"publishedAt":143,"order":112},"Old World Flycatchers and Chats (Muscicapidae)","A family spanning the beloved orange-breasted robin, the vocally legendary nightingale, and the acrobatic pied flycatcher, unified more by ancestry and insect-catching habits than by appearance.","\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fmuholovkovye","\u002Fimages\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fmuholovkovye.png",{"title":196,"description":197,"path":198,"coverImage":199,"publishedAt":143,"order":112},"Old World Orioles (Oriolidae)","A family of brilliantly colored but famously shy canopy songbirds, represented in Europe by the golden oriole, a bird more often identified by its fluting song than by sight.","\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fivolgovye","\u002Fimages\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fivolgovye.png",{"title":201,"description":202,"path":203,"coverImage":204,"publishedAt":143,"order":112},"Old World Sparrows (Passeridae)","The Old World sparrow family: small, sociable, seed-eating birds closely tied to human settlement, from the familiar house sparrow to its quieter, farmland-favoring relative the tree sparrow.","\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fvorobyinye","\u002Fimages\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fvorobyinye.png",{"title":206,"description":207,"path":208,"coverImage":209,"publishedAt":143,"order":112},"Pigeons and Doves (Columbidae)","The pigeon family: stout-bodied, small-headed birds fed on crop milk as chicks, spanning the city-adapted rock dove and wood pigeon to the increasingly rare, long-distance migrant turtle dove.","\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fgolubinye","\u002Fimages\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fgolubinye.png",{"title":211,"description":212,"path":213,"coverImage":214,"publishedAt":143,"order":112},"Plovers and Lapwings (Charadriidae)","The plover family: compact, large-eyed waders with short bills adapted for visual foraging, from the crested, iridescent northern lapwing to its smaller and plainer relatives.","\u002Fsemeystva\u002Frzhankovye","\u002Fimages\u002Fsemeystva\u002Frzhankovye.png",{"title":123,"description":216,"path":124,"coverImage":217,"publishedAt":218,"order":112},"The rail family: laterally flattened marsh specialists built for slipping through dense reed beds, ranging from the secretive corncrake to the bold, aggressive Eurasian coot.","\u002Fimages\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fpastushkovye.png","17.08.2026",{"title":220,"description":221,"path":222,"coverImage":223,"publishedAt":143,"order":112},"Starlings (Sturnidae)","The starling family: gregarious, iridescent, highly vocal songbirds represented in Europe by the common starling and its spectacular winter murmurations.","\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fskvorcovye","\u002Fimages\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fskvorcovye.png",{"title":225,"description":226,"path":227,"coverImage":228,"publishedAt":143,"order":112},"Storks (Ciconiidae)","The stork family: massive, long-legged wading birds with long straight bills, epitomized by the white stork's huge rooftop nests and dramatic overland migration to Africa.","\u002Fsemeystva\u002Faistovye","\u002Fimages\u002Fsemeystva\u002Faistovye.png",{"title":230,"description":231,"path":232,"coverImage":233,"publishedAt":143,"order":112},"Swallows and Martins (Hirundinidae)","The swallow family: sleek, long-winged aerial insect-hunters that spend most of their waking lives on the wing, from the red-throated barn swallow to the white-rumped house martin.","\u002Fsemeystva\u002Flastochkovye","\u002Fimages\u002Fsemeystva\u002Flastochkovye.png",{"title":235,"description":236,"path":237,"coverImage":238,"publishedAt":143,"order":112},"Swifts (Apodidae)","The swift family: extreme aerial specialists that spend nearly their entire lives in flight, closer in ancestry to hummingbirds than to the swallows they superficially resemble.","\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fstrizhinye","\u002Fimages\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fstrizhinye.png",{"title":240,"description":241,"path":242,"coverImage":243,"publishedAt":143,"order":112},"Sylvia Warblers (Sylviidae)","A family of small, plainly plumaged, densely-vegetation-loving warblers prized far more for their voices than their looks, exemplified by the richly singing Eurasian blackcap.","\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fslavkovye","\u002Fimages\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fslavkovye.png",{"title":245,"description":246,"path":247,"coverImage":248,"publishedAt":143,"order":112},"Thrushes (Turdidae)","The thrush family: medium-sized, powerful-singing ground foragers, from the glossy black common blackbird to the heavily spotted song thrush and the gregarious, flocking fieldfare.","\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fdrozdovye","\u002Fimages\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fdrozdovye.png",{"title":250,"description":251,"path":252,"coverImage":253,"publishedAt":143,"order":112},"Tits (Paridae)","The tit family: small, acrobatic, cavity-nesting songbirds from the bold, dominant great tit to the tiny, cache-obsessed coal tit, among the most familiar and intensively studied garden birds in Europe.","\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fsinitsevye","\u002Fimages\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fsinitsevye.png",{"title":255,"description":256,"path":257,"coverImage":258,"publishedAt":143,"order":112},"Typical Owls (Strigidae)","The largest owl family, spanning the familiar tawny owl, tufted long-eared owl, and the giant Eurasian eagle-owl, united by forward-facing eyes, silent flight, and mostly nocturnal habits.","\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fsovinye","\u002Fimages\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fsovinye.png",{"title":260,"description":261,"path":262,"coverImage":263,"publishedAt":143,"order":112},"Wagtails and Pipits (Motacillidae)","A family of slender, long-tailed, ground-foraging songbirds best exemplified by the constantly tail-bobbing white wagtail, equally at home beside a river or in a busy town square.","\u002Fsemeystva\u002Ftryasoguzkovye","\u002Fimages\u002Fsemeystva\u002Ftryasoguzkovye.png",{"title":265,"description":266,"path":267,"coverImage":268,"publishedAt":143,"order":112},"Waterfowl (Anatidae)","The waterfowl family: ducks, geese, and swans, unified by webbed feet, waterproof plumage, and a broad flattened bill, from the familiar mallard to the massive mute swan.","\u002Fsemeystva\u002Futinye","\u002Fimages\u002Fsemeystva\u002Futinye.png",{"title":270,"description":271,"path":272,"coverImage":273,"publishedAt":143,"order":112},"Woodpeckers (Picidae)","The woodpecker family: powerful, tree-climbing excavators built to hammer into wood, from the widespread black-and-white great spotted woodpecker to the crow-sized black woodpecker.","\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fdyatlovye","\u002Fimages\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fdyatlovye.png",[],[276,278,279],{"label":119,"path":120,"description":121,"coverImage":277},"\u002Fimages\u002Fsemeystva\u002Findex.png",{"label":123,"path":124,"description":125,"coverImage":217},{"label":127,"path":128,"description":129,"coverImage":280},"\u002Fimages\u002Fopredelitel\u002Findex.png",1787114561722]