Photographed by Nicole Bouglouan in France. Distribution The North American subspecies, P. n. californicus is known as as the Eared Grebe. These birds migrate in winter, mostly to the Pacific Coast. Black-necked Grebes of the nominate subspecies P. n. nigricollis in the cooler temperate regions of the Old World also winter further south, with many European birds moving to the Mediterranean area. The isolated southern African race, P. n. gurneyi, named by South African ornithologist and author Austin Roberts in honour of father and son English bankers both named John Henry Gurney, is sedentary.