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Information about Little Grebe

Little Grebe

Conservation status
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Aves
Order:Podicipediformes
Family:Podicipedidae
Genus:Tachybaptus
Species:T. ruficollis
Binomial name
Tachybaptus ruficollis
(Pallas, 1764)
Enlarge picture
Distribution of the Little Grebe.

Distribution of the Little Grebe.
Synonyms
Podiceps ruficollis


The Little Grebe, Tachybaptus ruficollis formerly known as Dabchick is 23 to 29 cm in length. It is the smallest European member of the grebe family of water birds. This bird can be found at pretty much any open body of water across most of its extensive range.

Identification

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. The rufous is replaced by a dirty brownish grey in non-breeding and juvenile birds.

Juvenile birds have a yellow bill with a small black tip, and black and white streaks on the cheeks and sides of the neck as seen below. This yellow bill increasingly darkens, eventually turning black.

In winter, its size, buff plumage with a darker back and cap, and “powder puff” rear end enable identification of this species.

The Little Grebe's breeding call sounds like a horse whinnying. One Cornish bird interbred with a vagrant Pied-billed Grebe.

Distribution

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. Most birds move to more open or coastal waters in winter, but it is only migratory in those parts of its range where the waters freeze.

Like all grebes, it nests on the water's edge, since its legs are set very far back and it cannot walk well. Usually four to seven eggs are laid, and the striped young are sometimes carried on the adult's back.

Behaviour

It is an excellent swimmer and diver, and pursues its fish prey underwater. It uses the vegetation skilfully as a hiding place.

Foraging and food

It is an excellent swimmer and diver, and pursues its prey such as small fish and aquatic invertebrates underwater.

Breeding

Like all grebes, it nests on the water's edge, since its legs are set very far back and it cannot walk well. Usually four to seven eggs are laid, and the striped young are sometimes carried on the adult's back.

Bird Call

Most frequently heard call is courtship trill, given singly or in duet, a repeated weet-weet-weet or wee-wee-wee.


Gallery


Breeding plumage at Purbasthali in Burdwan District of West Bengal, India.

A Little Grebe in summer plumage

A Little Grebe in winter plumage

A Little Grebe chick

Little Grebe

Little Grebe


References

External links

conservation status of a species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species continuing to survive either in the present day or the future. Many factors are taken into account when assessing the conservation status of a species: not simply the number remaining, but the
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Least Concern (LC) is an IUCN category assigned to extant species or lower taxa which have been evaluated but do not qualify for any other category. As such they do not qualify as threatened, nor Near Threatened, nor (prior to 2001) Conservation Dependent.
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Scientific classification or biological classification is a method by which biologists group and categorize species of organisms. Scientific classification also can be called scientific taxonomy, but should be distinguished from folk taxonomy, which lacks scientific basis.
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Chordata
Bateson, 1885

Typical Classes

See below

Chordates (phylum Chordata) are a group of animals that includes the vertebrates, together with several closely related invertebrates.
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Aves
Linnaeus, 1758

Orders

About two dozen - see section below

Birds (class Aves) are bipedal, warm-blooded, egg-laying vertebrate animals.
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Tachybaptus
Reichenbach, 1853

Species

See text.
Tachybaptus is a genus of small members of the grebe family birds. It has representatives over much of the world, including the tropics.
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binomial nomenclature is the formal system of naming species. The system is also called binominal nomenclature (particularly in zoological circles), binary nomenclature (particularly in botanical circles), or the binomial classification system.
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Peter Simon Pallas (September 22, 1741, Berlin — September 8, 1811, Berlin) was a German zoologist and botanist who worked in Russia.

Pallas was born in Berlin, the son of a Professor of Surgery.
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In scientific nomenclature, synonyms are different scientific names used for a single taxon. Usage and terminology are different for zoology and botany.

Zoology

In zoological nomenclature, synonyms are different scientific names that pertain to the same taxon, for example
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Europe is one of the seven traditional continents of the Earth. Physically and geologically, Europe is the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, west of Asia. Europe is bounded to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the west by the Atlantic Ocean, to the south by the Mediterranean Sea,
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Feathers are one of the epidermal growths that form the distinctive outer covering, or plumage, on birds. They are the outstanding characteristic that distinguishes the Class Aves from all other living groups. Other Theropoda also had feathers (see Feathered dinosaurs).
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H.O.R.S.E. is a form of poker commonly played at the high stakes tables of casinos. It consists of rounds of play cycling among:
  • Texas Hold 'em,
  • Omaha eight or better,
  • Razz,
  • Seven card Stud, and
  • Seven card stud E

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Cornwall
Kernow

(Flag)
Motto: Onen hag oll
(Cornish: One and all)

Geography
Status Ceremonial & (smaller) Non-metropolitan county
Region South West England
Area
- Total
- Admin.
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P. podiceps

Binomial name
Podilymbus podiceps
(Linnaeus, 1758)

The Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps)[1] is a species of the grebe family of water birds.
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Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent. It covers 8.6% of the Earth's total surface area (or 29.4% of its land area) and, with almost 4 billion people, it contains more than 60% of the world's current human population.
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New Guinea<nowiki />

Political division of New Guinea

Geography
<nowiki/>
Location Island north of Australian continent
Coordinates
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Africa is the world's second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. At about 30,221,532 km² (11,668,545 sq mi) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area, and 20.4% of the total land area.
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Bird migration refers to the regular seasonal journeys undertaken by many species of birds. Migrations include movements of varied distances made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather.
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In most birds and reptiles, an egg (Latin ovum) is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum. To enable incubation the egg is usually kept within a favourable temperature range as it nourishes and protects the growing embryo.
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Coordinates:

Purbasthali is a town in Kalna subdivision of Bardhaman district. It is located 120 km north from Kolkata. Also known as Chupi Char, it lies on the banks of a large oxbow lake created by the Ganges river and is only a few km from
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Coordinates:

Bardhaman (also Barddhaman; Bengali: বর্ধমান Bôrdhoman), is a city of West Bengal state in eastern India. It is the headquarters of Bardhaman District.
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Coordinates: West Bengal (Bengali: পশ্চিমবঙ্গ Poshchimbôŋgo) is a state in eastern India.
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IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data List), created in 1963, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of plant and animal species.
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IUCN

International Organization
Founded October 1948, Fontainebleau, France
Headquarters Rue Mauverney 28, 1196 Gland, Switzerland

Key people Mr Valli Moosa
Ms Julia Marton-Lefèvre
Industry Natural resource conservation
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