Great crested Grebe - photo by Ashley Beolens

Great crested Grebe (Pondiceps cristatus) is a scarce winter visitor in Haryana. This bird is found in the wetlands.

Order: CICONIIFORMES   Family: Podicipedidae   Size: 50 cm   Local Name: Shiva Hans

Identification: Sexes alike. Tailless bird with a slender white neck and pointed bill. Two black upstanding, backwardly directed ear tuffs above head and a frill of chestnut-and-black elongated feathers below the neck.

Food: Fish, insects, frogs, tadpoles.