Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Least Grebe

Least Grebe
Least Grebe
The smallest member of the grebe family is the least grebe. They are found in a variety of wetland habitats from southern Texas, through Mexico and Central America and down into parts of South America. Like other grebes they eat a variety of aquatic prey, including small fish, tadpoles, frogs, crustaceans and aquatic insects, which they catch by diving under the water. Least grebes will sometimes nest in temporary wetlands, this helps them to avoid losing chicks to some predators such as large fish. When a predator does show up the least grebe is more likely to dive under the water to escape then they are to fly .  



12 comments:

TexWisGirl said...

wonderful, sharp eye!

carol l mckenna said...

Another wonderful photo of a gem of nature ~ (A Creative Harbor)

Andrea @ From The Sol said...

I love the Grebes ... they are so varied and interesting. Your facts are very informative as well and I wouldn't have guessed that they would dive to avoid predation. I love reading your blog ... I learn so much. Thank you!

Andrea @ From The Sol

EG CameraGirl said...

You captured the eye perfectly!

theconstantwalker said...

A beautiful little bird..

Kate said...

As usual, your contribution to this week's meme is wonderful. Great photography and information. Kate, ABC Team

Roger Owen Green said...

at LEAST, it's cute.
ROG, ABC Wednesday team

Adam Jones said...

It's quite similar to our Little Grebe. Nice to see.

mick said...

Great photo of an interesting bird.

Kenneth Cole Schneider said...

Nice shot! I haven't seen them since visiting the Lower Rio Grande Valley years ago.

Pat said...

Lovely shot.

Stewart M said...

Hi there - nice picture. I seems that the "dive under the water" approach is common to many of these small grebes.

Interesting info about the kites - more ticks via taxonomy!

Cheers and thanks for linking to WBW.

Stewart M - Australia