Grebes
Little Grebe
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Tachybaptus ruficollis
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Voice
Call
Camille Vacher
Call
Sonothèque ADVL
Call
Sonothèque ADVL
How to recognize it
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25–29 cm, pigeon-sized
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Dark brown above, dirty white below
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Chestnut-red cheeks and front of neck
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White wing mirror; loud fluting trill
About the species
Often seen low on the water, the little grebe slips forward with hardly a ripple and dives at the first sign of trouble. It is a small grebe with a pointed bill, and in breeding plumage the dark back goes with a rich reddish neck and cheeks.
Its call is a repeated “weet-weet-weet” or “wee-wee-wee”, sometimes given by a pair together, and it can sound a bit like a horse whinnying. It swims and dives well, chasing fish and aquatic invertebrates underwater, and it uses dense plant cover as shelter. Chicks can swim soon after hatching, and adults may carry them on their backs.
It uses shallow freshwater lakes, slow waters, and thickly vegetated edges, and outside the breeding season it moves to more open water, sometimes even to sheltered coastal bays. It eats fish, aquatic insects, larvae, and mollusks. In many places it leaves when waters freeze, while in warmer areas it stays through the year.
Where to find
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Along canal banks and pond edges with dense reedbeds, the Little Grebe stays close to shore and slips underwater with barely a splash.
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On quiet eutrophic park lakes with slow water and plenty of emergent plants, it is easiest to spot early in the morning, surfacing between the stems.
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In overgrown inlets and old ponds in late spring — look for a small dark back gliding low on the water, then a series of short dives.
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In autumn and winter on more open water, a fluting call and a sudden vanish under the surface often give it away.
You might also see
Sources
- eBird — Tachybaptus ruficollis Sightings map and full description on eBird
- Wikipedia — Little grebe Encyclopedia article