Least Grebe

Overview

Least Grebe: Smallest of North America's grebes. Eyes dark yellow , plumage is dark black-gray, white undertail coverts and white wing patch in flight. Black bill. In winter shows white throat, in summer a dark throat. Seldom fly, rarely leave nesting places. When not nesting found in small flocks.

Range and Habitat

Least Grebe: Found in southern Texas, Mexico, Rio Grande valley, Baja California, Arizona, Louisiana, South Florida, Central America and northern Argentina. Habitats include fresh and brackish water, from small ponds to lakes, ditches, marshes and slower moving parts of rivers.

INTERESTING FACTS

The Least Grebe can hide under water with only its bill showing above the surface. It sunbathes by facing away from the sun, closing its wings and tipping them upward on the back. It raises its feathers, exposing black skin, believed to help absorb solar radiation. Its genus name is a combination of two Greek words—takhus meaning fast and baptos meaning diving, or sinking under. The species name dominicus refers to the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, which was formerly known as Santo Domingo. A group of grebes are collectively known as a "water dance" of grebes.