What is the smallest grebe?

What is a little grebe called?

Two adults in breeding plumage, below with feathers pressed against the body, for low buoyancy. The little grebe ( Tachybaptus ruficollis ), also known as dabchick, is a member of the grebe family of water birds. The genus name is from Ancient Greek takhus “fast” and bapto “to sink under”.

What is a little grebe Chick?

The little grebe, scientific name, Tachybaptus ruficollis, also called dabchick, is a member of the grebe household of water birds. In this article, I am going to talk about Little Grebe chick, call, feet, diet, images, facts, etc.

What is the scientific name of the little grebe?

Little Grebe. Scientific name: Tachybaptus ruficollis. The Little Grebe is a fantastic diver, but to help it swim underwater, its feet are placed towards the back of its body, making it rather clumsy on land. It only really comes ashore to breed.

What does a grebe parakeet look like in winter?

Its summer plumage is striking, with a black neck, rusty flanks and flaring golden plumes behind the eye, which give it its North American name of ‘Eared Grebe’. In winter plumage, though, the species is much drabber, appearing at range a smudgy, dusky grey and white bird with no sharp contrasts.

How many different types of grebes are there?

There are six currently-recognized subspecies, separated principally by size and colouration. The little grebe is a small water bird with a pointed bill. The adult is unmistakable in summer, predominantly dark above with its rich, rufous colour neck, cheeks and flanks, and bright yellow gape.

What is a fluffy grebe?

A small, dumpy grebe which often appears to have a ‘fluffy’ rear end. It readily dives when disturbed, surfacing unseen some distance away. Like all grebes it is an expert swimmer & diver.

What does the Australasian grebe bird look like?

What does it look like? The Australasian Grebe is a small waterbird with two distinct plumage phases. The non-breeding plumage of both the male and female is dark grey-brown above and mostly silver-grey below, with a white oval patch of bare skin at the base of the bill.

Where do eared grebes make their nests?

Eared Grebes typically nest on lakes and wetlands that are not bordered by trees. Within these lakes and wetlands, males and females select a nest site in shallow waters with cattail, sedges, or rushes. Males and females build a floating platform with a shallow bowl of aquatic plants that they attach to reeds or other emergent vegetation.

What does a little grebe fish look like?

Key information. The little grebe is a small, dumpy grebe which often appears to have a ‘fluffy’ rear end. It readily dives when disturbed, surfacing unseen some distance away. In summer it has a bright chestnut throat and cheeks and a pale gape patch at the base of the bill.

Is the little grebe a common bird?

The little grebe is a fantastic diver, but to help it swim underwater, its feet are placed towards the back of its body, making it rather clumsy on land. It only really comes ashore to breed. Common. Classified in the UK as Green under the Birds of Conservation Concern 4: the Red List for Birds (2015).

Where can I find grebes in Washington State?

Thus, areas frequently disturbed by humans may have low productivity. Western Grebes can be found during the breeding season on large ponds and reservoirs in the Big Sage/Fescue zones in eastern Washington, especially at Moses Lake and Potholes Reservoir in Grant County.

What happens to eared grebes in the winter?

In winter, they lose the golden wisps, turning gray and white. Eared Grebes amass by the thousands at inland salty waters during migration. In the fall (late July through November) they head to either Mono Lake in California or the Great Salt Lake in Utah.

What does an Australasian grebe look like?

The Australasian Grebe is a small waterbird with two distinct plumage phases. The non-breeding plumage of both the male and female is dark grey-brown above and mostly silver-grey below, with a white oval patch of bare skin at the base of the bill.

What does the little grebe bird sound like?

The little grebe’s breeding call, given singly or in duet, is a trilled repeated weet-weet-weet or wee-wee-wee which sounds like a horse whinnying. This bird breeds in small colonies in heavily vegetated areas of freshwater lakes across Europe, much of Asia down to New Guinea, and most of Africa.

What color is the bill of a pied parakeet?

In the breeding season, the bill turns from a dull white to a bright white with a black ring, giving this bird its namesake “pied” appearance. Juveniles have a striped face.

What are the characteristics of a little grebe?

The smallest of the grebes, Little Grebes have a very dumpy body, a short neck, tiny straight bill and no ornamental head feathers giving a rounded shape to the head. They swim buoyantly with feathers often fluffed out at rear giving a power- puff effect.

How long does the incubation period of a grebe bird last?

Both the male and the female share incubation duties and last between 21 to 24 days. The pied-billed grebe breeds throughout the United States and up into southern Canada. The pied-billed grebe does migrate, leaving when ice begins to form in the northern and central parts of their range in winter.

Where do Horned Grebes live in the winter?

The horned grebe breeds in western Canada, except in the bitterly cold north. They migrate to the northern United States in winter to the Atlantic coast, the Gulf Coast, and California on the Pacific coast. They eat a variety of aquatic insects along with crustaceans and small fishes in the winter.

How long does the pied-billed grebe migrate?

Both the male and the female share incubation duties and last between 21 to 24 days. The pied-billed grebe breeds throughout the United States and up into southern Canada. The pied-billed grebe does migrate, leaving when ice begins to form in the northern and central parts of their range in winter. They return in spring when the ice begins to melt.

Are there grebes in Bellingham Bay?

In winter Western Grebes are rare in eastern Washington but common on the coast and in Puget Sound. Wintering flocks with birds numbering in the thousands were historically present in Bellingham Bay.

Where can I find western grebes?

Western Grebes can be found during the breeding season on large ponds and reservoirs in the Big Sage/Fescue zones in eastern Washington, especially at Moses Lake and Potholes Reservoir in Grant County.

Where do grebes live in winter?

During the breeding season they can be found on marshy ponds, where they build floating nests. Both parents tend the cryptically patterned young, which often ride on their backs. In the winter, grebes live on open water.

How do eared grebes migrate?

The Eared Grebe migrates only at night. Because of the length of its stay at fall staging areas, its southward fall migration is the latest of any bird species in North America. On cold, sunny mornings, the Eared Grebe, like some other grebe species, sunbathes by facing away from the sun and raising its rump, exposing dark underlying skin to light.

How do eared grebes sunbathe?

On cold, sunny mornings, the Eared Grebe, like some other grebe species, sunbathes by facing away from the sun and raising its rump, exposing dark underlying skin to light. This behavior may make the bird appear to have a distinctive “high-stern” profile. Eared Grebes might be the whales of the bird world in one sense.

How many times a year do eared grebes fly?

A cycle similar to that of the fall staging areas occurs 3–6 times each year for the Eared Grebe. For perhaps 9–10 months each year the species is flightless; this is the longest flightless period of any bird in the world capable of flight at all.

What is a little grebe?

The little grebe is a small, dumpy grebe which often appears to have a ‘fluffy’ rear end. It readily dives when disturbed, surfacing unseen some distance away.

What does the little grebe do for a living?

The little grebe is an excellent swimmer and diver and pursues its fish and aquatic invertebrate prey underwater. It uses the vegetation skilfully as a hiding place.