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Little Grebe, Tachybaptus ruficollis, Smådopping, นกเป็ดผีเล็ก

The Little Grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis), called Smådopping in Skåne, 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". The specific ruficollis is from Latin rufus "red" and Modern Latin -collis, "-necked", itself derived from Latin collum "neck".

At 23 to 29 cm in length it is the smallest European member of its family. It is commonly found in open bodies of water across most of its range.

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. Outside of breeding season, it moves into more open water, occasionally even appearing on the coast in small bays

Little Grebe, Tachybaptus ruficollis, Smådopping, นกเป็ดผีเล็ก

Taxonomy
The Little Grebe was described by the German naturalist Peter Simon Pallas in 1764 and given the binomial name Colymbus ruficollis. The tricolored grebe was considered conpecific, with some taxonomic authorities still considering it so. There are six currently-recognized subspecies, separated principally by size and colouration.

• T. r. ruficollis – (Pallas, 1764): nominate, found from Europe and western Russia south to North Africa

• T. r. iraquensis – (Ticehurst, 1923): found in southeastern Iraq and southwestern Iran

• T. r. capensis – (Salvadori, 1884): found in Sub-Saharan Africa, Madagascar, Sri Lanka, and the Indian subcontinent, extending east to Burma

• T. r. poggei – (Reichenow, 1902): found from southeastern to northeastern Asia, Hainan, Taiwan, Japan, and south Kuril Islands

• T. r. philippensis – (Bonnaterre, 1790): found in the northern Philippines

• T. r. cotabato – (Rand, 1948): found on Mindanao


Description
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. 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 darkens as the juveniles age, eventually turning black in adulthood.

Little Grebe, Tachybaptus ruficollis, Smådopping, นกเป็ดผีเล็ก
Breeding plumage

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

Length: 29 cm
Wingspan: 40 - 45 cm
Weight: 100 - 200 g
Longevity: 13 years
Distinctive Feature

• Yellow / whitish gape patch
Similar Species



From opus at www.birdforum.net the forum for wild birds and birding.
Female / Male / Juvenile

• Sexes similar

From opus at www.birdforum.net the forum for wild birds and birding.


Listen to the Little Grebe



Remarks from the Recordist

Two adjacent pairs calling.

www.xeno-canto.org


Behaviour
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.

Like all grebes, it nests at the water's edge, since its legs are set very far back and it cannot walk well. Usually four to seven eggs are laid. When the adult bird leaves the nest it usually takes care to cover the eggs with weeds. This makes it less likely to be detected by predators.

Little Grebe, Tachybaptus ruficollis, Smådopping, นกเป็ดผีเล็ก
Little Grebe in nest - Laying eggs?
Praek Nam Daeng, Samut Songkhram, Thailand - May 2020

Little Grebe, Tachybaptus ruficollis, Smådopping, นกเป็ดผีเล็ก
Little Grebe with nest
Praek Nam Daeng, Samut Songkhram, Thailand - May 2020

The young leave the nest and can swim soon after hatching, and chicks are often carried on the backs of the swimming adults. In India, the species breeds during the rainy season.

It does not normally interbreed with the larger grebes in the Old World, but a bird in Cornwall mated with a vagrant North American pied-billed grebe, producing hybrid young.


Little Grebe babies
Praek Nam Daeng, Samut Songkhram, Thailand - May 2020


Little Grebe, Tachybaptus ruficollis, Smådopping, นกเป็ดผีเล็ก
Little Grebe baby

Little Grebe, Tachybaptus ruficollis, Smådopping, นกเป็ดผีเล็ก
Little Grebe baby

Little Grebe, Tachybaptus ruficollis, Smådopping, นกเป็ดผีเล็ก
Little Grebe baby

Little Grebe, Tachybaptus ruficollis, Smådopping, นกเป็ดผีเล็ก
Little Grebe baby with a proud PAPA or MAMA

Little Grebe, Tachybaptus ruficollis, Smådopping, นกเป็ดผีเล็ก
Little Grebe baby

Little Grebe, Tachybaptus ruficollis, Smådopping, นกเป็ดผีเล็ก
Little Grebe baby with a proud PAPA or MAMA

Little Grebe, Tachybaptus ruficollis, Smådopping, นกเป็ดผีเล็ก
Little Grebe baby

Little Grebe, Tachybaptus ruficollis, Smådopping, นกเป็ดผีเล็ก
Little Grebe baby

The below sound is a recording of the 2 baby Little Grebes on the pictures above playing and chasing each other

Listen to the Little Grebe

Remarks from the Recordist

Recorded with my ZOOM H5 Handy Recorder. High Pass Filter applied with Audacity

Two young babies playing and chasing each other.


www.xeno-canto.org



Little Grebe, Tachybaptus ruficollis, Smådopping, นกเป็ดผีเล็ก
Little Grebe family
Lat Krabang, Bangkok, Thailand - August 2020

Little Grebe, Tachybaptus ruficollis, Smådopping, นกเป็ดผีเล็ก
Little Grebe family
Lat Krabang, Bangkok, Thailand - August 2020

Little Grebe, Tachybaptus ruficollis, Smådopping, นกเป็ดผีเล็ก
Little Grebe family
Lat Krabang, Bangkok, Thailand - August 2020

Little Grebe, Tachybaptus ruficollis, Smådopping, นกเป็ดผีเล็ก
Little Grebe family
Lat Krabang, Bangkok, Thailand - August 2020

Little Grebe, Tachybaptus ruficollis, Smådopping, นกเป็ดผีเล็ก
Little Grebe family
Lat Krabang, Bangkok, Thailand - August 2020

Little Grebe, Tachybaptus ruficollis, Smådopping, นกเป็ดผีเล็ก
Juvenile (teenager) Little Grebe almost same size as adult
Bang Khaem fish ponds, Nakhon Pathom, Thailand - August 2020

Little Grebe, Tachybaptus ruficollis, Smådopping, นกเป็ดผีเล็ก
Juvenile (teenager) Little Grebe almost same size as adult
Bang Khaem fish ponds, Nakhon Pathom, Thailand - August 2020


Conservation status
Little Grebe, Tachybaptus ruficollis, Smådopping, นกเป็ดผีเล็ก
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.2.
International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 26 November 2013.



From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

www.birdforum.net


Sighted: (Date of first photo that I could use) 1 May 2020
Location: Praek Nam Daeng, Samut Songkhram


Little Grebe, Tachybaptus ruficollis, Smådopping, นกเป็ดผีเล็ก
Little Grebe / นกเป็ดผีเล็ก - Praek Nam Daeng, Samut Songkhram - 1 May 2020

Little Grebe, Tachybaptus ruficollis, Smådopping, นกเป็ดผีเล็ก
Little Grebe / นกเป็ดผีเล็ก - Lat Krabang, Bangkok - 8 May 2020

Little Grebe, Tachybaptus ruficollis, Smådopping, นกเป็ดผีเล็ก
Little Grebe / นกเป็ดผีเล็ก - Praek Nam Daeng, Samut Songkhram - 24 May 2020

Little Grebe, Tachybaptus ruficollis, Smådopping, นกเป็ดผีเล็ก
Little Grebe / นกเป็ดผีเล็ก - Praek Nam Daeng, Samut Songkhram - 24 May 2020



PLEASE! If I have made any mistakes identifying any bird, PLEASE let me know on my guestbook



       
                  



                                       

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