Duck grebe: description and habitats of the great grebe, diet and enemies, species status

The toadstool duck actually has nothing to do with the order of ducks, except for the similarity in appearance and permanent habitat on the water. This bird in the common people is called eared, crested, and scientifically - a large grebe or grebe. She was nicknamed the toadstool for its almost inedible meat - you can eat it, but it has a pronounced repulsive aroma of fish.

Description of the toadstool

European grebe, or great grebe, is the largest specimen of the grebe family, belongs to waterfowl. Outwardly, this bird resembles a duck, but the great grebe and the duck have nothing in common.Due to the special structure of the bones (they are not as hollow as in other birds, and less filled with air), grebes can stay not on the surface of the water, but almost or completely immersed in it.

Appearance of the Grebe:

torso valky;
thin, long neck;
legs far back;
almost imperceptible tail;
flat claws;
short wings;
pointed straight beak.

Feature of the big grebe are 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 excellently. Three fingers look forward, and the fourth is pointing back. During swimming, the legs are not under the body of the grebe, but behind, acting like a ship's propeller.

The grebe has a soft and dense plumage, the feathers come out of the skin almost at a right angle. Outside the mating season, the male eared bird is difficult to distinguish from the female, both in size and in plumage - dark, gray colors predominate. In the mating season, crests appear on the head and neck, the abdomen and neck are light in front, bright red feathers are on the sides. A chestnut-red collar with a black border is visible on the neck. On the crown of the head, 2 bunches of black feathers.

The toadstool is small in size - males weigh up to one and a half kilograms, females - 1-1.2 kilograms. They reach 50-70 centimeters in length.

Bird habitats

The crested grebe spends most of its time on the water. Due to the special structure of the legs (they are located behind, there are no membranes on them), the bird walks with difficulty, looks awkward.Grebes rarely come ashore, mainly during the nesting period. They live in ponds and lakes.

Grebeet Grebe can be found on water bodies in any country of Eurasia. The bird does not like a cold climate, therefore it practically does not live in the northern regions. Do not meet the great grebe in Australia and New Zealand, they still live in Africa, although in small quantities. In central Europe, great grebe can even live in artificial reservoirs (ponds in city parks).

Behavior in the wild

Toadstool is a diurnal bird, rarely moves at night and only when the moon is bright. Lives alone, only during the nesting period creates a pair. He is on the water all day long, dives excellently, throwing himself into the water with a straight neck, swims under water for long distances.

It flies well, but reluctantly, therefore, in case of danger, it is easier for it to dive under water than to take off (for this, the bird needs a long run). The voice of the great grebe is loud, the bird is able to make a variety of sounds.

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 waters. If the reservoir is not large, grebes nest in pairs. On large lakes, clusters of up to 50-100 pairs can settle.

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 any other grebe species.

Besides fish, can eat:

dive swimmers;
bugs;
crustaceans;
shellfish;
dragonflies;
water bugs;
stoneflies;
snails.

The main method of obtaining food from grebes is diving. They descend under water 2-3 times per minute, each time covering a distance of up to 25 meters. One of 4-5 attempts to catch a fish ends successfully. When an adult great grebe catches a fish, the ducklings rush to it with a squeak and try to get hold of the food. The young are fed with tadpoles, small fish, and insects.

Toadstool can stay on the surface of the water for hours or, submerged halfway into it, collect food from the water surface and catch insects in flight.

Reproduction and mating season

grebes are known for their unusual mating games preceding nesting. From the outside, these games look like a dance - the birds swim towards each other, the plumage on the head is ruffled. Having met, the male and the 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 of reeds and dried seaweed. But last year's raft is used for mating, and for breeding chicks, the couple builds a new one by joint efforts. Egg laying usually occurs at the end of May. The female lays 3-7 white eggs, but over time they turn brown-green.

In a nest about 50 centimeters high, the eggs are warm, despite the fact that under the weight of the body of the great grebe it sinks into the water. Both parents incubate. After 24-30 days, the chicks hatch, already covered with down - the young have a bright striped plumage. The chicks move on their back to the parent and stay there for up to 1.5-2 months, until they learn to get their own food on their own.

Natural enemies

The main enemies that threaten toadstools, mainly during the mating season and during incubation of eggs, are:

marsh harrier;
grey magpie;
magpie;
pike.

Birds can peck at eggs, and pikes are happy to feast on young ducklings that are just learning to go down into the water. A toadstool can die in a fishing net if it gets tangled in it when it dives too deep for food. Nests are threatened by sudden changes in the weather when strong waves rise and the water level in the reservoir increases.

Population and species status

grebes belong to the species of grebes - a family of waterfowl. In total, there are 22 species in the population, 3 of which have already become extinct. Crested Grebe is the most common bird species of the grebe family found in Europe.Grebes are not related to any bird species. Initially it was believed that they belonged to the loon family due to their resemblance and habits, later the theory was questioned. In 2003, the theory was voiced that grebes are close relatives of flamingos.

Despite the fact that many representatives of the great grebe die during the hunting season (it is shot along with the duck), under adverse climatic conditions, the population does not decrease. Over the past decades, there has been an increase in numbers due to the fact that the networks of fish farms and other artificial reservoirs are expanding significantly.