Little Grebe

The Little grebe has a pointed bill. The Little grebe in summer is dark above with its rich rufous colour neck, cheeks and flanks, the Little grebe has a bright yellow gape, The rufous colour of the Little grebe turns into a dirty brownish grey when it is not breeding season, the juvenile Little grebe is also the same colour.

The juvenile Little grebe has a yellow bill with a black tip, the juvenile Little grebe also has black and white streaks on the cheeks and sides of the neck. The juvenile Little grebe's yellow bill darkens by age and turns black when it becomes a adult Little grebe.

The Little grebe in winter has a buff plumage, the Little grebe also has a dark back and cap, the Little grebe also has a powder puff undertail coverts,vent and uppertail coverts.

They belong to the Kingdom Animalia, the Phylum is Chordata, the Class is Aves, the Order is Podicipediformes, the Family is Podicipedidae, the Genus is Tachybaptus, the Binomial name is Tachybaptus ruficollis.

Measurements
The Little grebe weighs 130 to 236 grams and measures 23 to 29 centimetres in length, the wingspan of the Little grebe is 40 to 45 centimetres

Subspecies
The subspecies of Little grebe can be identified by size and colour.

Tachybaptus ruficollis capensis is found in the Indian subcontinent.

Sounds
The Little grebe's breeding call can be done alone or in a duet, the breeding call of the Little grebe is a trilled repeated weet-weet-weet or wee-wee-wee.

Diet
The Little grebe is a skilled swimmer and diver, the Little grebe chases fish and aquatic invertebrates underwater. The Little grebe uses vegetation as a hiding place.

Habitat
The Little grebe breeds in small colonies in heavily vegetated freshwater lakes. The Little grebe moves to open waters, coastal waters and small bays for the winter.

Breeding & Nesting
The Little grebe nests at the water's edge, the legs of the Little grebe are very far back making it hard for the Little grebe to walk. The adult female Little grebe lays four to seven eggs. The adult Little grebe covers it's nest with weeds.

The hatched Little grebes leave the nest and swim, the chicks of the Little grebe are carried on the backs of the adult Little grebes. The Little grebe In India breeds in the rainy season.

Threats, Predators & Conservation Status
The lifespan of the Little grebe is 10 to 15 years. They are least concern status in the IUCN Red List and the population according to very few sources is 6,10,000 to 35,00,000.