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Outwardly resembling a duck, the smallest of all the representatives of the family is the Little Hale. A small bird has a short beak and a rather rounded body, which in the mating season is distinguished by variegated coloring.
This waterfowl is common in various parts of the world and is often an object for hunting.
Appearance
Lesser Grebe is inferior to the thrush. The wingspan of the bird is up to 450 mm, and the body length does not exceed 300 mm. Externally, the creation is quite compact and rounded, has a shortened neck.
The characteristic mating plume of the toadstool is red-chestnut tones (sides, cheeks, neck) and blackish-brown (back, abdomen). On the head has no feather ornaments.In winter, the bird dresses in more uniform and light brown shades (the bottom remains white). A small yellow spot at the base of the black beak (yellow-green shade in the mouth section) is also characteristic of representatives. The latter is also slightly strung up. On the folded brown wings can be noted bright mirror. Eyes have toadstool brown. The tail is almost absent.
Downy chicks are mostly black in color, with red longitudinal stripes on the back, and white on the head and neck. The latter are observed in adolescents before the advent of adult plumage. The beak of babies is bright pink.
Lifestyle
Little grebe chooses for settlement moderately overgrown standing reservoirs and reservoirs, where it prefers to remain inconspicuous and quiet. She often hides in the thickets of reeds and other aquatic vegetation, organizing floating nests in the same place, using the vegetative “waste” of water and muddy bottom.
After the end of the marriage period, adults and adolescents organize in small flocks and go to winter to the south. If the temperature is above zero (the water does not freeze), the toadstools can hibernate in the intermediate lane, for example, on large rivers, orchestrating overwintering.Basically, the birds go to the coastal waters of the Crimea or the southern freshwater bodies.
Small grebes feed on various aquatic invertebrate representatives (snails, insects, etc.), local swimming and underwater plants, but occasionally small fry are caught in the beak.
Unlike other members of the Toadstool family, the small one quickly takes off and picks up speed, confidently floats low above the surface of the water. Less timid bird and on land, trying to move awkwardly on its paws, holding the body at a certain angle to the ground. Of their own accord, the grebe rarely leaves the watery surface and gets out onto the shore, where various dangers lurk, in particular, hunters and predatory animals. In the water, the bird feels great, confidently swims and dives.
The voice of the little toadstool resembles a resounding flute trill, so called "waxing" and chirping in a high key. Hunters characterize the voice as "Wheat-Wheat." Trills of the toadstools are often heard when she is worried about the nest. Periodically, these same sounds are heard in the mating season.
Breeding
Unlike other members of the family, the bird can rarely be caught in the role of a marital suitor, demonstrating the willingness to mate with the dances. But during the formation of a pair between males, aggressive collisions are possible, which manifest themselves in 3 characteristic behavioral reactions.
- Attacking posture. Toadstool stretches the neck straight and up, the feathers on the head stand on end, the beak is lowered, and the back half of the body moves erratically to the left and right. The similarity of the tail while upward.
- Menacing pose. On the water, the male's head and neck pulls low above the surface with readiness to fight.
- Brokeback pose. Beak lowered, head retracted, feathers disheveled. Wings grebe raises above the back and twitches them. As a rule, this posture completes the demonstration of behavior, so the male makes it clear that the couple has been created and the chosen female is his.
During the nesting period, toadstools rarely demonstrate a voice, to keep secret and inconspicuous, protecting offspring. Masonry and make out in the thickets, and open water, and protruding shrubs, and splavin. Next to the main nest there are also several auxiliary temporary “sites” where parents mate and rest.
After hatching, the chicks, like other members of the family, “ride” on the backs of their parents, comfortably hiding in their plumage. Breeding takes place by the "beak in the beak" method. Gradually the young begin to try to sink into the water - independence comes in 1-1.5 months.
Habitat and status
Little grebe unevenly lives in the center of Europe, Australia, South Asia and tropical regions of Africa. Widely distributed on the territory of Russia, namely in the south, as well as in the latitude of Moscow. A large flock of birds was noted on Lake Black, on a local small lake in the Coibal steppe. Birds flying was also observed on the Yenisei River in the area of the Sayasno-Shushenskaya protected area. Nest animal loves in Tuva and Khakassia, on the shores of the Black Sea.
The bird is quite secretive and rare, so rarely caught the eye of environmentalists and poachers.In recent years, the number of small toadstool tends to decrease. In addition, the family members are extremely difficult to endure the harsh winters of northern latitudes. That is why the bird is extremely in need of protection of the population at the state level.
Video: Little Grebe (Podiceps ruficollis)
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