Great Crested Grebe

Hosts on Spekboom have recorded the Great Crested Grebe at stays in or beside Goukamma Nature Reserve, Anysberg Nature Reserve, Rocherpan Nature Reserve, De Hoop Nature Reserve and Garden Route National Park. A record means a host has seen it on the property or nearby, which makes these the places to base yourself; it is never a guarantee of a sighting on any given day.

The Great Crested Grebe is most recorded in Western Cape (86% of records), Gauteng (8% of records), based on 782 iNaturalist observations. 30 places to stay on Spekboom in South Africa have recorded the Great Crested Grebe on site or nearby.

The Great Crested Grebe is recorded throughout the year, so no month is the wrong month to look for it. For the parks where hosts record it most, these are the best seasons they give. Goukamma Nature Reserve: year-round, warm Oct-Apr; Anysberg Nature Reserve: Autumn and spring, Mar-May, Sep-Nov; Rocherpan Nature Reserve: Winter and spring for birds and flowers, Jun-Oct; De Hoop Nature Reserve: Sep-Apr, flowers Aug-Oct. In the dry months animals concentrate at water and the grass is short.

The great crested grebe (Podiceps cristatus) is a member of the grebe family of water birds noted for its elaborate mating display. The scientific name comes from Latin. Podiceps is from podicis, "vent" and pes, "foot", and is a reference to the placement of a grebe's legs towards the rear of its body, and the species name, cristatus means "crested".