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Little grebe – Tachybaptus ruficollis

Little grebe – Tachybaptus ruficollis
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 (9.1 to 11.4 in) 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.

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.[9] 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.

It sounds like this
Recording by Faansie Peacock from Xeno canto