Little Grebe
Tachybaptus ruficollis
Also known as: Dabchick
Habitat
Aquatic
Diet
Invertebrate
Active Time
Diurnal
Size
169 g
About This Species
The smallest grebe across its Eurasian and African range, it favors small, reed-fringed ponds, ditches, and slow rivers, where it dives frequently for aquatic invertebrates and small fish and often disappears underwater the moment it feels watched. Its trilling, whinnying call carries well over water and is frequently the first sign of its presence before the bird itself is spotted among waterside vegetation. Breeding season, when pairs build a floating nest anchored to reeds, is a good time to hear the call, while winter can bring small loose gatherings on larger open waters.
Ethical Viewing Guidelines
- This species is naturally shy and tends to dive or retreat into cover well before an observer gets close, so a stationary, patient approach from the bank works far better than walking the shoreline.
- Wild bird protections across its Eurasian range, including the UK's Wildlife and Countryside Act and the EU Birds Directive, prohibit disturbing nests, and its floating nest among reeds is vulnerable to wash from boats or careless bank access.
- Keeping to the bank rather than wading or boating through reed fringes during the breeding season is the main precaution.
Seasonal Activity
2,809,632 sightings · 2000–2026
Citizen science records via GBIF
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Podicipediformes
- Family
- Podicipedidae
Traits
- Diet
- Invertebrate
- Foraging
- Aquatic
- Activity
- Diurnal
- Body mass
- 169 g
Photo
Wikimedia Commons / Wikimedia Commons
CC-BY-SA-4.0
Occurrence data from GBIF.