Basic Information
Scientific classification
- Chinese name: Pygmy Grebe
- Scientific name: Tachybaptus dominicus, Least Grebe
- Classification: Waterfowl
- Genus and family: Grebes, order Grebes, family Grebes, genus *Lepidoptera*
Vital signs data
- Body length: 21-26 cm
- Weight: 108-130g
- Lifespan: No verification data available.
Significant features
It is the youngest member of the grebe family.
Distribution and Habitat
Origin: Argentina, Aruba, Bahamas, Belize, Bolivia, Bonaire, San Eustachians and Saba, Brazil, Cayman Islands, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Curaçao, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, United States, Uruguay, Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Virgin Islands.
Migratory bird: Dominican Republic.
They mainly inhabit open plains, lakes, rivers, ponds, reservoirs, and marshes, especially lakes and ponds rich in emergent plants and fish. They also appear in mountain lakes and ponds. In winter, they mostly inhabit coastal bays, estuaries, large inland lakes, dry and stable rivers, and vegetation in coastal marshes.
Appearance
It measures only 21-26 cm in length and weighs 108-130 grams. It appears to have almost no tail. Its short wings and legs (located at the rear of the body, near the tail) give it an almost oval shape. Combined with its entirely downy, soft, silky plumage, it resembles a fluffy gourd. The upperparts are dark brown, with some feathers tipped with pale white. The primary and secondary flight feathers are grayish-brown, with the primary feathers tipped with grayish-black and the secondary feathers with white tips; the greater and median coverts are dark grayish-black, and the lesser coverts are pale blackish-brown. The breast, flanks, and vent area are grayish-brown, with pale or white tips on the breast feathers. The hindbreast and belly are silky white, tinged with the same grayish-brown as the breast; the axillaries and underwing coverts are white.
Adult (winter plumage): Forehead pale greyish-brown, crown and nape blackish-brown, sides of rump pale yellowish-brown; rest of upperparts greyish-brown. Chin, throat, etc. are white, lower throat tinged with yellow; breast and abdomen greyish-white; flank feathers tipped blackish-brown.
Detailed introduction
The pygmy grebe (scientific name: Tachybaptus dominicus) is the smallest member of the grebe family, and there are four subspecies.
The pygmy grebe spends almost its entire life in water and usually lives in groups. It is not a good flier. It swims using its legs instead of its wings and rarely walks on land. It can dive to forage, generally only diving to depths of 1-4 meters. Its diet consists mainly of aquatic insects and larvae, crustaceans, mollusks, small fish, and small plants.
When breeding, pygmy grebes build floating nests in grassy areas near water, using reeds, weeds, and some clay. They lay 2-7 eggs at a time, which are white and often stained with dirt. Both parents take turns incubating the eggs. The eggs hatch after about 25 days. The chicks are precocial, covered in dense downy feathers, and can move freely. For the first 2-3 weeks after hatching, the parents often carry the chicks on their backs; if startled and diving, they tuck them under their wings.
Listed as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2013 ver 3.1.
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