The duck, nicknamed the grebe, actually has no relation to the order Anatidae, except for the similarity in appearance and permanent habitat on the water. This bird is popularly called long-eared, crested, and scientifically it is called great grebe or great grebe. It was nicknamed the toadstool for its practically inedible meat - you can eat it, but it has a pronounced repulsive aroma of fish.
Description of the toadstool
The European grebe, or grebe, is the largest individual of the grebe family and belongs to waterfowl.Outwardly, this bird resembles a duck, but the grebe and the duck have nothing in common. Thanks to the special structure of the bones (they are not as hollow as those of other birds, and less filled with air), grebes can not stay on the surface of the water, but almost or completely submerge in it.
Appearance of the great grebe:
- the body is roll-shaped;
- thin, long neck;
- legs set far back;
- almost invisible tail;
- flat claws;
- short wings;
- pointed straight beak.
A special feature of the great grebe is its legs - they are short but strong. They do not have membranes, like ducks, but there are wide blades on the sides of the fingers, with the help of which the bird swims quickly and dives well. Three fingers point forward, and the fourth points backward. While swimming, the legs are not under the grebe's body, but behind it, acting like a ship's propeller.
The grebe has soft and dense plumage; the feathers emerge from the skin at almost a right angle. Outside the mating season, the male long-eared bird is difficult to distinguish from the female, both in size and in plumage - dark, gray colors predominate. During the mating season, crests appear on the head and neck, the belly and neck are light in front, and there are bright red feathers on the sides. A chestnut-red collar with a black border is visible on the neck. There are 2 bunches of black feathers on the crown.
Bird habitats
The crested grebe spends most of its time on the water. Due to the special structure of the legs (they are located at the back, there are no membranes on them), the bird walks with difficulty and looks clumsy. Grebes rarely come ashore, mainly during the nesting period. They live in ponds and lakes.
Great grebes can be found in bodies of water in any country in Eurasia. The bird does not like cold climates, so it practically does not live in the northern regions. You won't find the great grebe in Australia and New Zealand; they still live in Africa, although in small quantities. In central Europe, the great grebe can even live in artificial reservoirs (ponds in city parks).
Behavior in the wild
The grebe is a diurnal bird; it rarely moves at night and only when the moon is bright. Lives alone, only creating a pair during the nesting period. He spends days on the water, dives well, throwing himself into the water with his straight neck, and swims long distances underwater.
Spring migration begins in March-April, when reservoirs open. Grebes prefer to nest on lakes where there are areas of thickets and reeds, but there are also areas of open, deep water. If the body of water is not large, grebes nest in pairs. On large lakes they can live in clusters of up to 50-100 pairs.
Diet
The main diet of the great grebe is small fish, no more than 8 centimeters in length. The great grebe eats more fish than all other grebe species.
In addition to fish, it can eat:
- diving beetles;
- bugs;
- crustaceans;
- shellfish;
- dragonflies;
- water bugs;
- stoneflies;
- snails.
The main method of obtaining food from grebes is diving. They dive under water 2-3 times per minute, each time covering a distance of up to 25 meters. One out of 4-5 attempts to catch a fish ends successfully.When an adult grebe catches a fish, the ducklings rush towards it squeaking and try to take over the food. The young are fed tadpoles, small fish, and insects.
The grebe can stay on the surface of the water for hours or, half immersed in it, collect food from the water surface and catch insects in flight.
Reproduction and mating season
Great grebes are known for their unusual courtship displays that precede nesting. From the outside, these games look like a dance - the birds swim towards each other, the plumage on their heads is ruffled. Having met, the male and female stand on the water, simultaneously dive and pick up algae particles from the bottom of the reservoir. They present them to each other in their beaks as gifts.
Both mating and nesting will take place on a homemade raft made of reeds and dried algae. But for mating, last year’s raft is used, and to hatch chicks, the couple works together to build a new one. Egg laying usually occurs at the end of May. The female lays 3-7 white eggs, but over time they acquire a brownish-green hue.
In a nest about 50 centimeters high, the eggs are kept warm, despite the fact that under the weight of the grebe's body it is immersed in water. Both parents incubate. After 24-30 days, the chicks hatch, already covered with down - the young have bright striped plumage. The chicks move onto the parent’s back and stay there for up to 1.5-2 months, until they learn to get their own food.
Natural enemies
The main enemies that threaten grebes, mainly during the mating season and during hatching of eggs, are:
- marsh harrier;
- gray magpie;
- magpie;
- pike.
Birds can peck at a clutch of eggs, and pikes enjoy feasting on young ducklings that are just learning to take to the water.A toadstool can die in a fishing net if it gets entangled in it when it dives too deep to catch food. The nests are threatened by sudden changes in weather, when strong waves rise and the water level in the reservoir increases.
Population and species status
Grebes are a member of the Grebe family, a family of waterfowl. In total, there are 22 species in the population, 3 of which are already extinct. The Great Grebe is the most common bird species in the Grebe family found in Europe. Grebes are not related to any species of birds. Initially it was believed that they belonged to the loon family due to their external similarity and habits, but the theory was later questioned. In 2003, a theory was voiced that grebes are close relatives of flamingos.
Despite the fact that many representatives of the great grebe die during hunting seasons (they are shot together with ducks), under unfavorable climatic conditions, the population does not decline. Over the past decades, there has been an increase in numbers due to the significant expansion of networks of fish farms and other artificial reservoirs.
