Editing Horned grebe (section)

== Habitat ==
[[File:Podiceps auritus oisillons.jpg|thumb|Chicks swimming alongside an adult ''P. a. cornutus'' in breeding plumage, Alaska]]
The species breeds primarily in [[boreal ecosystem|boreal]] and [[subarctic]] regions with a frost-free period of around 90 days or less,<ref name="BWP"/> but also in [[temperate climate|temperate]] zones, including [[Prairies Ecozone|prairies]] and parklands.<ref name=":1" /> They breed in small to moderately sized (0.5-10 ha) shallow freshwater ponds, marshes and shallow bays on lake edges with beds of emergent vegetation.<ref name=":0" /> They prefer lakes less than 2.5 m deep, with submerged vegetation, rather than bare gravel, silt or mud lakefloors,<ref name="BWP"/> and marginal vegetation with [[sedges]]s, [[Juncaceae|rushes]], and [[Typha|bulrushes]] along with large areas of open water.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Faaborg|year=1976|title=Habitat selection and territorial behavior of the small grebes of North America|journal=Wilson Bull|volume=88| pages = 390–399}}</ref> This habitat provides a suitable site for nest material, anchorage, concealment and protection for young. It readily uses lakes surrounded by trees or forest.<ref name="BWP"/>

During [[Bird migration|migration]], they will stop along lakes, rivers and marshes. Following migration, they winter in marine environments, including off [[Estuary|estuaries]] and bays or sandy beaches; in some places, for example in Norway, large numbers congregate on inland lakes.<ref name="Fjeldså" />