The little grebe is aptly named--for it's the smallest bird of the grebe family. Grebes are fantastic birds and superb parents. Their mating habits furnish humans with extreme delight as we watch their actions of giving gifts, copying each other's extreme movements and performing a running dance on water. I found a video portraying this ritual, though the grebes shown are not Little Grebes, but hopefully an understanding may be formed of the Little Grebe rituals.
All birds in the grebe family are so loving and giving to their little chicks. They allow the little ones to ride on their backs, and are industrious fisher birds bringing their chicks food regularly.
Grebes pluck their own feathers out to feed to their babies, and it's thought the reason behind this selfless act is to coat the stomach so the fish bones will not pierce the stomach lining.
Their habitat is freshwater lakes or ponds, and they will hide if someone comes near, since they are incredibly shy. I would love to see one, but unless I travel to Europe, Asia or Africa, this will not be possible,
The best part about these lovely birds--they're least concern on the conservation status, yet all the poisons running off from lawn care may hurt them in the future.
Green lawns are not worth hurting our water and eco-system, but as long as there is money involved, then the world will continue to poison at will.
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