What am I?
I am a less common grebe.
Slavonian grebe
Slavonian grebe
Where do I come from?
A very small number of us breed in Scotland but most of us come from Scandinavia.
A bit about me
I am a rare bird with red eyes and black and white plumage in the Winter. During the breeding season I look even more striking as my white feathers turn red and I grow bright orange ear tufts. I dive for fish and aquatic invertebrates and because of my red eyes, I’ve been given folk names such as devil-diver, hell-diver, and water-witch!
Local spotlight
If you’re lucky you might spot me out to sea in the Winter.
Conservation status
My name might not be listed in the Solent’s Special Protection Areas but I am still definitely important for the coastal ecosystem and form part of the non-breeding waterbird assemblages which these regions are protected for.
Fun fact
Don’t ask us why but we regularly eat our own feathers! They form a plug in our stomach which may act as a filter, holding fish bones until we can digest them.
