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Great Crested Grebe
Podiceps cristatus
species of Podicipedidae

2nd cy
ad. male
number longest lengths distribution of longest primary smallest individual biggest individual
primary 11 per wing 122.5 - 138.0mm n=15
P9 (93%) P10 (7%)
10045 11961
secondary 22-23 per wing 93.0 - 104.5mm n=14
S2 (71%) S1 (21%) S1=S2 (7%)
11957 10044
wing length1 hand-wing-index1,2 (HWI) primaries-index wing length/longest primary ratio hand-wing-index/primaries-index ratio
175 - 199mm n=15 39 - 46% n=8 23 - 27% n=15 ⌀145% no data available
detailed information

The wing length is measured on the flattened and straightened wing ("maximum chord") from the carpal joint to the tip of the longest primary feather, the so-called "Kleinschmidt-method".

combined data from:
Avonet1: 175 - 195mm n=11
Featherbase: 184 - 199mm n=4

The hand-wing-index, introduced by Kipp 1959, is calculated as the ratio of the hand length (difference between the length of the longest primary and the first secondary) to the wing length.

combined data from:
Avonet1: 39 - 46% n=8,
The primaries-index is calculated as the ratio of the longest primary feather length to the first (outermost) secondary. It is the equivalent of the hand-wing index for feather measurements. The wing length/longest primary ratio is calculated as the ratio of the wing length to the length of the longest primary feather. The hand-wing-index/primaries-index ratio is calculated as the ratio of the hand-wing index to the primaries-index.
1 Tobias, J. A., et al. (2022). AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds.
2 Kipp, Friedrich A.: "Der Handflügel-Index als flugbiologisches Maß", erschienen in "Vogelwarte - Zeitschrift für Vogelkunde", 1959, Band 20, Heft 1



juv.
2nd cy female
ad.
2nd cy male
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country allocations

extant

Afghanistan · Albania · Algeria · Angola · Armenia · Australia · Austria · Azerbaijan · Bahrain · Bangladesh · Belarus · Belgium · Bhutan · Bosnia and Herzegovina · Botswana · Bulgaria · Burundi (vagrant) · Central Asian Russia · China · Congo, The Democratic Republic of the · Croatia · Cyprus · Czechia · Denmark · Eastern Asian Russia · Egypt · Eritrea · Estonia · Eswatini (vagrant) · Ethiopia · European Russia · Faroe Islands (vagrant) · Finland · France · Gabon · Gambia (vagrant) · Georgia · Germany · Gibraltar (origin uncertain) · Greece · Hong Kong · Hungary · Iceland (vagrant) · India · Indonesia (vagrant) · Iran, Islamic Republic of · Iraq · Ireland · Israel · Italy · Japan · Jordan · Kazakhstan · Kenya · Korea, Democratic People's Republic of · Korea, Republic of · Kuwait · Kyrgyzstan · Latvia · Lebanon · Lesotho (vagrant) · Libya · Liechtenstein · Lithuania · Luxembourg · Mali (vagrant) · Malta · Moldova, Republic of · Monaco · Montenegro · Morocco · Mozambique · Myanmar · Namibia · Nepal · Netherlands · New Zealand · Nigeria (vagrant) · North Macedonia · Norway · Oman (vagrant) · Pakistan · Poland · Portugal · Qatar · Romania · Russian Federation · Rwanda · San Marino · Saudi Arabia · Senegal (vagrant) · Serbia · Slovakia · Slovenia · South Africa · Spain · Sweden · Switzerland · Syrian Arab Republic · Taiwan, Province of China · Tajikistan · Tanzania, United Republic of · Thailand · Tunisia · Türkiye · Turkmenistan · Uganda · Ukraine · United Arab Emirates (vagrant) · United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland · Uzbekistan · Zambia · Zimbabwe ·
source: IUCN 2025. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2025-1 <www.iucnredlist.org>
assessment data: 154250080 | 2019

Grebes

distribution

conservation status

  • CITES
    not listed
  • Regulation (EG) Nr. 865/2006
    not listed
  • German Federal Nature Conservation Act §44
    protected
  • listed in hunting law