Little Grebe Identification
Its scientific name is 'Tachybaptus ruficollis', from the family Podicipedidae (order Podicipediformes)
What I look like
The Little Grebe is the smallest of the grebes. It is half the size of the Great Crested Grebe.
It has a round head, a short neck, a plump body, and a fluffy rear.
It has a black cap, a very small bill, and the color of the cheeks varies with the season.
In breeding plumage, the cheeks and front of the neck are reddish-brown, the bill is dark with a prominent light commissure visible from afar.
In non-breeding plumage, the cheeks and front of the neck are beige, the bill is light, and the flanks are also lighter.
The juvenile's plumage resembles non-breeding plumage, but it is distinguished by two dark stripes on the cheek.
My songs, my calls
The Little Grebe emits varied high-pitched calls. "biip" and "bii-ib" "bit" which can accelerate into a prolonged trill ending with "bi bi bi bi".
During the breeding season, it emits a kind of shrill, rolling whinny, often crescendo then decrescendo.
It is silent in winter.
How I behave
The Little Grebe is rather shy. It is often hidden, but it can also swim in the open.
It appears to float like a cork with a truncated rear end.
It is often seen in small groups, sometimes mixing with other species.
It rarely flies. It is mostly seen on the water.
How I reproduce
During reproduction, the Little Grebe settles on slow-moving streams where vegetation is abundant.
Its nest, like all grebes', is made of reeds and fine branches, often floating in vegetation.
From April to July, it lays one clutch, but may lay a replacement clutch in August.
The young often find refuge on the backs of their parents during their outings.
What I eat
The Little Grebe is less piscivorous than other grebes. It thus settles on smaller bodies of water.
There it finds larvae, insects, and aquatic invertebrates (mollusks, crustaceans).
It dives very often when searching for its prey.
Where to find me
The Little Grebe is found on ponds and pools with dense vegetation; sometimes in ditches.
It is sedentary in Western and Southern Europe and in North Africa.
The populations in the east and slightly to the north are migratory and will winter on sheltered coasts, estuaries, lakes, further south.
The distribution of the Little Grebe resembles that of the Great Crested Grebe in Europe, but the latter spreads further east and north in summer.
The Little Grebe can live for about thirteen years.