䴙䴘目

小䴙䴘 Little Grebe
Tachybaptus ruficollis

小型游禽
体长 23~29 cm

虹膜 /iris

黄色 /yellow

嘴 /bill

黑色 /black

脚 /legs and feet

蓝灰色 /blue-grey

目 │ 䴙䴘目PODICIPEDIFORMES 科 │ 䴙䴘科Podicipedidae

野外识别 │ 身体短胖，嘴裂和眼乳黄色，极明显。尾短小，呈绒毛状。繁殖羽头和上体黑褐色，颊、颈侧红栗色，臀部灰白色。冬羽头顶黑色，上体灰褐色，下体白色。幼鸟体色较淡，头、颈部呈黑白色、红褐色的花斑状，背褐色且有棕褐色斑。在水中活动时，频频潜水，容易辨别。

居留及分布 │ 分布于中国各地的开阔水面。国外分布于亚洲中部和南部、欧洲中部和南部、非洲南部，以及菲律宾、印度尼西亚、澳大利亚。在南岭为留鸟，于大顶山和乳阳有分布。

生境及习性 │ 栖息于池塘、湖泊和沼泽地带，也见于水流缓慢的江河和沿海芦苇沼泽中。善于潜水，通过潜水追捕各种小型鱼类为食，也吃蜻蜓幼虫、蝌蚪、甲壳类和蛙等小型水生无脊椎动物和脊椎动物，偶尔也吃少量的水草等水生植物。繁殖期 5—7 月。营巢于有水生植物的湖泊和水塘岸边浅水处水草丛中，巢能随水的涨落而起落，全由芦苇和水草构成，内垫有少量苔藓或无任何内垫物。窝卵数 4~7 枚，卵白色或灰白色。

Field identification │ A small dumpy waterbird with a fluffy rear end, distinctive bright yellow gape and eyes, and a short, pointed bill. Summer-plumaged adults are predominantly dark above with rich rufous neck, cheeks and flanks. On winter-plumaged birds, the rufous is replaced by brownish-buff.Juveniles are paler, with dark brown stripes on the cheeks and sides of the neck.

Distribution & status │ Widely distributed in Europe, Africa and Asia, including China. In Nanling, it is a resident breeding species, recorded at Dadingshan and Ruyang.

Habitat & habits │ Little Grebes inhabit ponds, lakes and swamps as well as slow-moving rivers and coastal reed marshes, floating buoyantly and diving frequently. They hunt aquatic invertebrates and vertebrates like small fish, prawns, dragonfly larvae, tadpoles, small crustaceans and frogs and occasionally also eat aquatic plants in small amounts. The breeding season can be long, but is at its peak between May and July. The nest is a floating heap of water plants made of reeds and grass, sometimes with a little moss inside, either on open water or concealed in vegetation.