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Red-necked Grebe Documented in Chhattisgarh for the First Time

Red-necked Grebe on water
Research · Other research

A red-necked grebe (Podiceps grisegena) observed in Chhattisgarh in February 2025 has been published as the first record of the species for the state. In their 2026 report, the authors also describe it as the first sighting record for central India including Madhya Pradesh and the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra.

The bird was first noticed on 17 February at around 17:00 among a group of eight grebes. Examination of a photograph showed two great crested grebes, five little grebes and one red-necked grebe. The latter was identified by its smaller size relative to the great crested grebes, square-headed appearance and reddish neck. A return visit the following morning produced additional photographs.

The site was checked regularly until 25 February 2025. The three grebe species remained together but generally kept at least 50 metres from fishing boats and the shore. The red-necked grebe was observed diving for roughly 50–90 seconds at a time and resurfacing 20–35 metres away. On one occasion it surfaced with food that was immediately taken by a great crested grebe.

The authors found no earlier published occurrence in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh or Vidarbha in the national and regional literature they reviewed. They describe the bird as a probable vagrant and the observation as the first sighting record of the species from Chhattisgarh and central India.

Sources and image credit

  1. Bharos, A. M. K., Bharos, A., & Verma, J. (2026). First report of Red-necked Grebe Podiceps grisegena and sightings of Pallas’s Gull Ichthyaetus ichthyaetus from Chhattisgarh. Zoo’s Print, 41(2), 30–32. https://zoosprint.org/index.php/zp/article/view/8086Primary publication dated 21 February 2026. It documents a Red-necked Grebe observed in Chhattisgarh in February 2025 as the first sighting record for the state and, according to the authors’ literature review, for central India including Madhya Pradesh and Vidarbha.

Image: Donald Hobern — wild Red-necked Grebe at Klydesø, Copenhagen, Denmark, 26 March 2017; Wikimedia Commons; representative species image, not the Chhattisgarh bird; cropped to 16:9 · CC BY 2.0 · Source

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