Little Grebe

Parenting in calm waters.

Scientific name	Tachybaptus ruficollis
English name	Little Grebe
Japanese name	Kaitsuburi
Classification	Aves
Classification details	Podicipediformes Podicipedidae
Full length	25cm
Distribution	Residents south of Honshu. A stray bird in Tohoku and north.

Characteristics

Japan's smallest grebe with an impressive reddish-brown neck. Head and wings dark brown. The beak is black. In winter plumage, the overall color is lighter. The tail is very short and has almost no tail feathers. I am not good at walking because my feet are behind my body. It cries in a thin voice, "Kuriri" and "Pip". Juvenile birds are pale brown overall with white streaks on the neck.Very similar to ducks, but a different species. It has a sharper beak and a shorter body than ducks.

Origin of name

There are various theories about the origin of the name grebe, but one says that it was said to 'scratch and dive'', and another says that the shape of its body was likened to ''a paddle and a gourd.'' There are theories. In Japanese kanji, it was written as 'Nio', which means 'bird entering water', and was called 'Nihori'. Lake Biwa in Shiga Prefecture has a long history of grebes, so it is also known as 'Niho no Umi'.

Ecology

Inhabits calm waters such as lakes, ponds, and bays. They are good at diving, and they dive into the water to catch small fish and shrimp, and eat insects near aquatic plants. Sometimes it stays underwater for more than 15 seconds.

Breeding and growth of chicks

They breed in freshwater areas and form territories by forming pairs. Build floating nests on aquatic plants, stakes, reed stalks, etc. This nest is called "Nio's floating nest" because it looks like it's floating. Eggs are laid from spring to summer. Newborn chicks are able to swim immediately and emerge from the nest in about a week. Parent birds sometimes swim with their young on their backs to protect them from predators and to keep them warm. They grow while learning how to forage from their parent birds.

Habitat

Inokashira Park

I found a grebe raising a child in Inokashira Onshi Park in Mitaka City, Tokyo. A parent bird was feeding five chicks with a crawfish in turn. When it dives and catches prey, it squeals "beep" to call the chicks and feeds them by mouth-to-mouth. The chicks seemed to know the order in which they were fed, and were quiet when it was not their turn.