Little grebes inhabit temperate mixed forests with warm summers and many oak, birch, and maple trees; flooded meadows where water frequently covers the ground and there is abundant grass; shallow waters along shorelines where crabs reside; and taiga characterized by cold winters and numerous coniferous trees such as spruce and pine. The species also occupies freshwater bodies, freshwater shorelines and backwaters, lakes and ponds, swamps and marshes, land, and terrestrial forests; altitude above sea level reaches up to 2 kilometers. The climate varies, including very hot summers exceeding +25…+30 °C, consistently high humidity with nearly constant rainfall, frequent rain and cool summers with snow in winter, warm summers and abundant rain, and simply warm summers with mild winters.