Foraging rhythm of great crested grebes Podiceps cristatus adjusted to diel variations in the vertical distribution of their prey Osmerus eperlanus in a shallow eutrophic lake in The Netherlands.

Abstract

Great crested grebes Podiceps cristatus only foraged for an hour or two during dawn and again during dusk on Lake IJsselmeer in August-September. During this time of the year the adult birds are in wing moult and temporarily unable to fly. The food of grebes consisted almost exclusively of smelt Osmerus eperlanus, the most numberous pelagic fish. Simultaneous sonar registrations and trawl net fishing showed that smelt moved to the water surface during the twilight periods. During day and night they were concentrated near the bottom. We argue that grebes have the best foraging opportunities during twilight when much of their prey is near the surface, where light intensities allow the fish to be detected and captured. When the smelt are in the upper water layers the distance to the covered to get the prey (i.e. diving time and cost) is also least.