What sounds does a grebe bird make. Grebe, or great grebe. Places of residence of ducks Toadstools

The grey-headed grebe can be found in almost all states of Australia and Tasmania, where its population is about 500,000 individuals, as well as in New Zealand. In arid areas of Australia, this species is usually absent. Usually inhabits large open water bodies, which can be estuaries, salt and fresh water bodies.

Adults reach a length of 29-31 cm and weigh about 250 grams.

The behavior of the grey-headed grebe is somewhat different from the behavior of other members of the grebe family. It takes off more often when a person approaches, while other grebes usually dive, are less noisy, and also the most social, with less pronounced competitive behavior. They nest in colonies up to 400 nests, in the rest of the period they live in huge flocks from 1000 to 10 000 individuals. The migration routes of the grey-headed grebe are not well understood, but it is assumed that this species appears wherever water can linger after rain.

It feeds on small aquatic arthropods, which it catches by diving deep underwater. This species feeds during the day, and in poor lighting it searches for food mainly on the surface of the water.

It builds a nest in shallow water, at some distance from the coast, among floating algae, sedges, reeds or other vegetation of lowlands flooded with sea water. To build a nest, it uses loosely attached algae and fallen branches. Both parents take part in incubating the eggs.

new zealand grebe
New Zealand Grebe
(Poliocephalus rufopectus)

Distributed only in the North Island of New Zealand. Prefers small freshwater lakes with dense vegetation, wetlands.

The body length is about 29 cm.

Western American grebe
Western Grebe
(Aechmophorus occidentalis)

Breeds on lakes in North America from southern British Columbia, northern Alberta and Minnesota south to Colorado, California and New Mexico. On some lakes from central California, south to northern Baja California and the Mexican Highlands, birds are sedentary. Northern populations migrate to the Pacific coast for the winter from southeast Alaska to the west coast of central Mexico. Some individuals live in winter on the coasts of the Gulf of Mexico in the states of Louisiana and Texas.

The habitats are large lakes and swamps, on which there is a great abundance of vegetation protruding from the water: reeds and reeds; shallow coastal bays and estuaries. Ideal places for nesting are reservoirs, where open water alternates with thickets of reeds or reeds, which to some extent dampen the waves.

Adult individuals reach a length of 55-75 cm and weigh from 800 g to 1.8 kg.

The Western American Grebe is a social bird, preferring to gather in large flocks in winter and nest in colonies in summer. Like all species of the family, the Western American grebe is carnivorous, feeding mainly on small fish from the carp family, herring, and other small fish. Crustaceans (including crayfish), aquatic insects, salamanders, polychaete worms can also get into its diet. Depending on the predominance of one or another living creature in its habitat, it quite easily adapts to various foods. In pursuit of fish, the bird can stay under water for more than one minute, and often strikes the fish with its beak like a spear. They hunt alone, keeping a distance of about 60 meters between them. They begin to search for food in the morning, as soon as visibility under water allows you to distinguish between prey.

Few waterfowl can match the spectacle of the grebe in the spectacle of a mating ritual. Mating games begin in the spring, shortly after the birds migrate to their nesting sites. The mating ritual involves a sequence of elaborate movements, postures, and strange water races. The most spectacular part is when the toadstools run through the water with their necks stretched forward. A pair of grebes of the opposite or same sex, as well as more than two birds approach each other, holding their heads extended low above the water, the throat of the grebes is swollen, the red eyes are bulging, the tufts are ruffled. They dip their beaks into the water and shake them making clicking sounds. Then, suddenly, as if on a signal, they stand side by side, rise vertically above the water, pushing their wings back, and bending their necks in the shape of the letter “S”, and arrange a run for distances of up to 20 m, creating the impression of a real run on water. Then they dive, after which they emerge and calmly swim in one row. Such runs can be repeated several times. The ritual also includes diving under water in search of algae, which the grebes then bring to each other.

Nesting usually begins in June, while they nest at a very close distance from each other. A pair of grebes builds a floating nest together, about 50 cm in diameter, from damp or decaying vegetation. The nest is often located in reeds or reeds, or may float, remaining attached to aquatic plants with its bottom. The female lays 2 to 4 (according to some reports up to seven) pale blue eggs, which then turn brown spots. The incubation period is 24 days, with the female and male taking turns incubating the eggs. Incubation begins with the first egg.

The chicks hatch in succession, with the latter receiving as much parental attention as the former. During the first two to four weeks after hatching, the chicks are on the backs of their parents, and there have even been cases when grebes carried the chicks on their backs over land. While one partner incubates eggs or carries chicks on his back, the other is looking for food. The parents feed the chicks until they are about two months old. The chicks have a uniform color: pale gray above, more saturated below. This distinguishes Western American grebes from other species of the family, whose chicks have a striped color.

Presumably at the age of one year, the Western American grebe reaches puberty. The average lifespan is unknown, however, birds between the ages of 9 and 16 have been recorded.

Clark's toadstool
Clark's Grebe
(Aechmophorus clarkii)

It is found in Canadian provinces such as Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba and Saskatchewan. In the United States of America, the toadstool can be found from Minnesota south to southern California, less often in Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico. Northern populations migrate to the Pacific coast for the winter. Others, who live primarily in the central valleys of California, are sedentary.

During the mating season, Clark's grebe breeds in western North America in large inland lakes and wetlands with open water and vegetation protruding from the water: reeds or reeds. The nesting territory covers the central arid part of the steppe and a zone that extends from California northeast to southern Canada and east to New Mexico, where sagebrush and fescue are found. In winter, Clark's toadstool lives mainly in sea bays and estuaries of the Pacific coast - from the southeast coast of Alaska to California.

Large, 56 to 74 cm in size, slender bird with a long thin neck and long beak. Adults have a wingspan of about 80 cm and a body weight of 718 to 1685 g.

Throughout the year it feeds on fish, including carp and herring. However, mollusks, crustaceans, insects and salamanders also get into its diet. Clark's grebe feeds farther from the coast and in deeper water than the Western American grebe. Often this bird can be found in mixed flocks with the western grebe, however, even in them, Clark's grebes stay closer to representatives of their species.

Clark's Grebes form monogamous pairs during nesting. For many representatives of the toadstool family, this is preceded by a complex and at the same time beautiful marriage ritual. In Clark's grebe, like its sister grebe in the West, this ritual is the most spectacular and probably the most complex of all birds. The courtship ritual of Clark's toadstool is almost identical to that of the Western American toadstool; the only difference is that one of the many mating calls of Clark's grebe, the loud "cr-rr-rick", is repeated only once, while that of the Western American grebe is repeated twice.

Nesting occurs in June - July. The male and female build a floating nest, for which they use various aquatic plants. The nest is attached to the exposed vegetation of shallow water or marsh at the edge of open areas of water. The female lays once a season from three to four bluish-white eggs, which later become covered with brown or dark yellow spots. The male and female take turns incubating the eggs. The incubation period is 23 days. After hatching, the chicks immediately leave the nest and climb onto the backs of their parents. Both parents feed the chicks. Newly hatched chicks have a bare patch of skin on the crown of the head that turns dark red as a result of a rush of blood if the chick is under stress associated with hunger. Young chicks have a uniform gray-white coloration, and not striped, as in most members of the grebe family. The upbringing of chicks lasts about 63-77 days.

Lesser grebe
Little Grebe
(Tachybaptus ruficollis)

It is distributed mainly in tropical and subtropical countries. Its vast range covers Southern and Central Europe, South and Northeast Asia, Africa (sub-Saharan Africa), Madagascar, New Guinea, and the islands of Oceania.

Body length is 23-29 cm.

It lives on small overgrown lakes, in river deltas. In most of the range, it settled in the presence of non-freezing reservoirs. Active mainly at night. Takes off very reluctantly, but the flight is easy and fast. It feeds on aquatic invertebrates, less often on small fish and tadpoles.

The current of small grebes is not as impressive as that of larger members of the family. Partners swim up to each other, turn in different directions, swim next to each other or freeze opposite each other. The most noticeable trills performed by a duet. Along with this, the birds show each other the material for the nest. For mating, they build a special nest of floating parts of plants. The nest is a floating platform of various plant materials attached to plants standing in the water. After mating, the toadstools freeze next to each other for a few seconds. After a short pause, a new mating may follow, but this time the partners change places, so it is difficult for an outside observer to distinguish between two identically colored birds, a male and a female. This behavior is unique, it is not found in any other birds.

In March or more often in April, a pair of grebes, remaining mutually faithful for many years, occupies the nesting site, driving other small grebes out of it. Usually threatening poses are enough for this, but sometimes there are fierce fights with pecking and stomping on the boundaries of the plots. In Central Europe, from May to the end of July, you can see nests of small grebes. Usually they are located in inaccessible corners of reed beds, and birds make their way to them only by swimming. But sometimes nests are arranged openly on the surface of the water. Like all grebes, they consist of a bunch of aquatic plants, with the bulk of the nest under water. Some pairs of little grebes hatch chicks twice a year. At the same time, it sometimes happens that one partner is already incubating the second clutch, while the other is still raising the growing chicks of the first. Usually partners replace each other on eggs every half an hour. First, a newly arrived bird corrects the nest, and only then sits on the eggs. It is believed that the heat released during the decay of plant parts additionally warms the eggs. Usually there are 4 eggs in a clutch, the incubation time is approximately 20 days. Since toadstools usually start incubating when two eggs are laid, not all chicks hatch on the same day. From the moment they are born, they know how to swim and, in case of danger, rush into the water. In extreme cases, they can be immersed in water already on the first day. The first days of life, the chicks spend in the nest, but their parents already take them with them on surface walks and scuba diving.

australian grebe
Australasian Grebe
(Tachybaptus novaehollandiae)

Inhabits freshwater lakes and rivers of Australia, New Zealand and nearby Pacific islands.

Body length is 25-27 cm.

South American grebe
Least Grebe
(Tachybaptus dominicus)

Distributed in North and South America. The range from the north is limited by the southern regions of the USA and Mexico, in the south by Southern Brazil and Argentina. The bird also lives in the Greater Antilles, the Bahamas, Trinidad and Tobago. Inhabits wetlands, freshwater lakes, slow-flowing rivers, mangrove swamps.

The body length is 21-27 cm, with a weight of 112-180 g.

It feeds on small fish, crustaceans, frogs and aquatic insects. Like all grebes, it dives for prey. On one dive spends about 12 seconds. Most often, these birds can be found in pairs or singly, but outside the breeding season, they sometimes gather in flocks of 20 individuals.

There is no breeding season. Each pair builds a compact floating nest. The female lays 2-6 white eggs, which are incubated by both parents for 21 days.

Madagascar grebe
Madagascar Grebe
(Tachybaptus pelzelnii)

endemic to Madagascar. Lives only on Lake Alautra.

Body length 22-27 cm, weight about 145 g. The beak is relatively thin. Males are slightly larger than females and usually have longer beaks.

As a habitat, birds choose ponds and shallow lakes with dense lilies. They feed mainly on insects, as well as fish and, to a lesser extent, crustaceans.

They breed from August to March. Nesting birds are usually territorial, but in suitable conditions nests are built fairly close to each other. Sometimes colonies of up to 150 individuals are obtained in this way. The nest is a floating platform of aquatic plants that is usually attached to floating plants, often close to water lilies.

Alautra Lesser Grebe †
Alaotra Grebe
(Tachybaptus rufolavatus)

It was found in the west of the island of Madagascar, only on Lake Alautra in the province of Toamasina.

A medium-sized bird with very small wings, which did not allow it to make long flights.

The species has been on the verge of extinction since the 1st half of the 1980s. The last time the voice of this bird was heard in 1988. In 2010, it was officially declared extinct. Scientists believe that the cause of extinction is human activity. Birds fed on lake fish, the population of which was greatly reduced due to the introduction of new species of fish, animals and plants to Alautra. In addition, grebes have been poached and also suffered from fishing nets placed throughout the lake.

Variegated Poanka
Pied-billed Grebe
(Podilymbus podiceps)

The most common of the American grebes is found on both American continents from southern Canada to southern Patagonia. It is not found in Alaska and northern Canada, as well as in the Amazon and the highlands of the Andes. It lives mainly in freshwater reservoirs - ponds, swamps, streams. Rarely found in salty waters.

The body length reaches 31-38 cm, weight - 253-568 g, wingspan - 45-62 cm.

It rarely flies, preferring to dive under water in case of danger. Feeds mainly on aquatic invertebrates, sometimes small frogs.

Atitlan Grebe †
Atitlan Grebe
(Podilymbus gigas)

It was endemic to Lake Atitlán in Guatemala.

The length of the Atitlan grebe reached 46-50 cm. In appearance and voice, this grebe resembled a small motley grebe.

The decline in the number of the Atitlan grebe began in 1958. In 1960, perches were launched into Lake Atitlan, destroying the food of grebes - crabs and smaller fish, and also killing grebe chicks. From 1960 to 1965, the number of grebes decreased from 200 to 80 individuals. In 1966 a reserve was established and the number of grebes rose to 210, but in 1973 an earthquake struck Guatemala and by 1983 only 32 Atitlán grebes remained. The last pair of grebes died in 1989, after which the Atitlan grebe was declared extinct.

Grey-cheeked grebe
Red-necked Grebe
(Podiceps grisegena)

The distribution area consists of several sites in Eurasia and North America. Inhabits various climatic zones from the tundra strip in Lapland, Yakutia, Kolyma, Chukotka and Alaska to deserts in the Caspian, Aral Sea and Arizona. A smaller nominative subspecies breeds in Europe, Western Siberia and Kazakhstan from the eastern regions of France and the Netherlands to the east to the Ob valley, lakes Zaysan and Alakol. The breeding range of the eastern subspecies is partly in Eastern Siberia, partly in the northwestern part of North America.

Migrant. If the nesting sites of the gray-cheeked grebe are always associated with inland freshwater reservoirs, then it spends the rest of the time mainly in the sea, concentrating where fish schools pass close to the surface of the water - in bays, estuaries, on shallows and near islands. Birds of the western subspecies move to the coasts of the Atlantic - mostly to the North and Baltic Seas, to a lesser extent to the northern Mediterranean, Black and Caspian Seas. Relatively few birds overwinter in inland ice-free waters such as Lake Geneva and Issyk-Kul. Grebes of the East Siberian population winter in the Sea of ​​Japan and the East China Sea, the American one - along the Pacific (southern Alaska, British Columbia, in small numbers south to California) and Atlantic (from Newfoundland and Labrador south to Florida) coasts of this continent. A small amount remains inland, where it concentrates on the non-freezing part of the Great Lakes. Random flights are known in Israel, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.

An adult grebe of the nominative subspecies reaches a length of 40-50 cm, a wingspan of 77-85 cm, and a weight of 692-925 g. The length of another subspecies is 43-56 cm, a wingspan of 61-88 cm, and a weight of 750-1600 g.

Grey-cheeked grebe usually flies at a height of 20-30 m above the ground. The flight is very fast and in a straight line, however, if necessary, the bird is able to maneuver. Adult birds molt twice a year - partly before the start of breeding and completely after it ends. In December - May, there is a change in the contour plumage, as well as the internal secondary primary and covert feathers of the wing. From July to September, a complete change of plumage takes place, as a result of which the wedding dress is replaced by winter. The nature of nutrition during the nesting period varies depending on the neighborhood of another closely related species of grebe - a large grebe: where their ranges intersect, it is based on invertebrates. On the other hand, where the main fish-eating competitor is absent (and this is the north-west of Europe and North America), the basis of the diet is fish.

It breeds, most likely, starting from the second year of life. For nesting, as a rule, small and medium-sized overgrown reservoirs and backwaters of rivers are selected. An indispensable condition is also the presence of the remains of last year's vegetation, however, a partial cut of reeds with the formation of free corridors serves as an additional incentive for building a nest here. It is a monogamous bird; pairs are formed for one season in April or May, on migration or directly on nesting sites. It usually nests in isolated pairs, with the distance between adjacent nests being at least 50 m. Less often, under the most optimal conditions, it forms loose linear colonies of up to 20 pairs, isolated or together with gulls or other colonial birds. Such aggregations, in which the distance between adjacent nests does not exceed 10 m, are usually arranged on fairly large rafts that do not directly adjoin the shore. They are inaccessible to terrestrial predators; there are practically no strong winds and waves in them. Clutch size in colonies is usually higher and the survival rate is higher.

The nest is a surface construction in the form of a truncated cone with a recess in the upper part, consisting of a massive pile of stems, leaves and rhizomes of various aquatic plants. Unlike the great grebe, it is not buoyant, but is partly attached to standing, dead stems. Usually it is located on the border of the water table and the overgrown part of the reservoir, often in the inner window in the depths of sparse thickets of reed, cattail or sedge. The water depth in such places, as a rule, does not exceed 0.5-0.75 m. It is believed that the heat obtained during the decay of plants in the nest contributes to additional heating of the eggs.

The timing of egg laying in different parts of the range is greatly extended in time; in general, in Europe it varies from mid-April to May, in North America from mid-May to June. A full clutch contains 2-6, more often 3-4 eggs. Male and female incubate for 21-23 days, in unfavorable cool weather up to 27 days. At night, birds may leave the nest for a long time, apparently in order to avoid meeting with nocturnal predators. Hatching is asynchronous with the same interval as the eggs were laid - this leads to a noticeable difference in the development of the chicks of the same litter. Brood-type chicks, when they are born, immediately climb onto their parents' backs or hide under the wings, and spend most of the time there for the first 10-17 days, without leaving their parents even during their diving. Both birds of the pair feed the offspring, passing food from beak to beak. Gradually, the attitude towards older and larger chicks on the part of the parents becomes more and more aggressive, which, on the one hand, balances the fodder competition between chicks of different ages, and on the other hand, pushes them to greater independence. For the first week, the brood stays close to the nest within the feeding area, and then wanders throughout the reservoir. Often the broods split in two - some of the chicks stay with the male, the other follows the female. This leads to an equal division of responsibilities between partners. The young rise to the wing at the age of 50-70 days, after which the broods finally disintegrate and disperse.

Great grebe
Great Crested Grebe
(Podiceps cristatus)

It lives in ponds and lakes throughout Eurasia, except for the northernmost regions, as well as Australia and New Zealand. Found locally in Africa. In the north of its range this bird is migratory, in the south it is sedentary. Most southward migrating birds winter in the southern parts of Europe and Asia.

Body length is 46-51 cm, weight - from 600 to 1500 g.

For nesting, it chooses stagnant and slow-flowing water bodies with developed aquatic vegetation. An important habitat condition is the presence of quiet open reaches where the bird could hunt, and adjoining thickets of reeds or reeds, where it could hide its nest and hide from danger.

In the spring, a large grebe arrives when the reservoirs are freed from the ice cover. It breeds, as a rule, in separate pairs, but sometimes forms colonies on large lakes.

The nest is most often located among rare thickets of reeds or near a channel so that on the one hand it is protected from the action of waves and wind, and on the other hand it is accessible for birds to swim up. It is a heap of dead vegetation, mainly reeds and reeds. The nest is semi-flooded and wet, with a fairly flat tray. The diameter of the nest is 30-65 cm, its height is 30-65 cm, the height of the above-water part is 3-10 cm, the diameter of the tray is 12-22 cm.

The clutch consists of 3-4 pure white eggs. The male and female incubate for 25-27 days, starting from the laying of the second egg. The chicks hatch in May-July. Feeding lasts 8 or more weeks.

The main food is fish, especially in autumn and winter. In addition, amphibians, insects, crustaceans, mollusks, as well as plants harvested in water are eaten. The chicks are fed mainly on insects.

horned grebe
Horned Grebe
(Podiceps auritus)

It lives in most of Europe, Asia and North America. Migratory species in the north of the range.

The body length is 31-38 cm, the wingspan is 46-55 cm. In spring and summer, the head is black with tufts of red feathers above and behind the eyes, the neck and sides are red. In autumn and winter, the general coloration is light, there is a dark gray cap on the head, and the neck is white in front.

Breeds on small lakes, oxbow lakes in floodplains, migrates to sea coasts in winter. Less wary than other grebes, and comes ashore more often. On land, it is held almost vertically. It flies well. It feeds on aquatic invertebrates, during the winter also small fish, often dives to a considerable depth for food. The nest is floating. The clutch usually contains 2 eggs. Downy chicks are striped. The bird is usually silent, but sometimes emits a hoarse shrill cry, easily distinguishable from the voice of other grebes.

Magellanic grebe
Great Grebe
(Podiceps major)

Distributed from southeastern Brazil to Patagonia and Central Chile, a separate population inhabits northwestern Peru. It nests on freshwater lakes, slow-moving rivers and swamps overgrown with dense coastal vegetation. Outside the nesting period, it occurs in estuaries and bays, sometimes Magellanic grebes have been seen in the open sea.

Body length is 67-80 cm, weight is about 1600 g.

The main diet includes fish, but can eat insects, crustaceans, molluscs and young of other waterfowl.

Most birds lay their eggs from October to January. Clutch contains 3 to 5 eggs.

Toadstool Tachanovsky
Junin Grebe
(Podiceps taczanowskii)

A narrow-range species, the range is limited to Lake Junin in the Peruvian Andes.

Large, almost incapable of flying grebe. The body length is about 35 cm.

A sedentary species that never leaves the lake. Lives in small groups in open water. It feeds on small fish, after which it dives to the bottom of the lake. In danger, dives or runs through the water, flapping its wings. Sometimes it breaks off half a meter from the water, but this cannot be called a real flight. During the nesting period, it forms small colonies. Nests are built in thickets of aquatic vegetation, like all grebes, they are floating.

Chubat grebe
Hooded grebe
(Podiceps gallardoi)

Distributed in the southern part of Patagonia in the region of Southern Argentina (province of Santa Cruz) and Southern Chile. Inhabits freshwater lakes.

The body length is about 34 cm.

Builds floating reed nests in which it lays 2 eggs.

Silver Grebe
Silvery Grebe
(Podiceps occipitalis)

Distributed in Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru, Colombia, also found in the Falkland Islands. Inhabits freshwater lakes.

Black-necked grebe
Black-necked Grebe
(Podiceps nigricollis)

Breeds in Europe, central and southern Asia, most of Africa, southern and southwestern United States, and northern South America. In the north of its range it is a migratory bird. The black-necked grebe is a resident of the reservoirs of the steppes, the forest-steppe and the south of the forest zone. It breeds in various, more often flat lakes - small and large, fresh and brackish, near slow-flowing rivers, along backwaters and channels. Fewer other grebes are associated with thickets of emersed vegetation.

Body length is 28-34 cm.

The basis of nutrition is aquatic insects and their larvae, crustaceans, mollusks, less often tadpoles, plants, fish fry. The chicks are fed mainly on aquatic insect larvae.

They are colonial birds but often nest in single pairs and small groups. They can settle in colonies of gulls or terns. The nest is common for all grebes - wet, from dead aquatic vegetation, often floating. Often it is located on the raft. The clutch usually consists of 3-4 eggs. Freshly laid eggs are dull white, but soon they become greenish and even brownish-brown, almost black, as the shell is soiled with wet nest material. Both birds incubate.

The genus (Podiceps) also included the Colombian grebe (Podiceps andinus) †, which lived in northeastern Colombia. Inhabited mountain lakes, a particularly large population lived on Lake Tota. But the pollution of lakes and the destruction of reed beds led to a reduction in the number of Colombian grebes - in 1968, only 300 birds remained. The Colombian grebe was last seen in 1977. Searches in 1981-1982 yielded no results. The species is considered extinct.

white crested rollandia
White-tufted Grebe
(Rolandia rolland)

Widely distributed from southern Peru south through Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay to Tierra del Fuego and the Falkland Islands. Inhabits freshwater lakes.

short-winged rollandia
Titicaca Grebe
(Rollandia rmicroptera)

Distributed in the region of the Altiplano plateau, which is located on the territory of Peru and Bolivia. Inhabits lakes Uru-Uru, Poopo, Titicaca and nearby small lakes, also found in the Desaguadero River.

The body length is 28-45 cm, with a mass of about 600 g. This bird is unable to fly, but is an excellent swimmer.

It feeds mainly on small, up to 15 cm in length, fish. The short-winged rollandia are kept in pairs. They breed once a year, usually 2 chicks in a brood, in rare cases up to 4.