LITTLE GREBE or COMMON GREBE (Tachybaptus ruficollis)

LITTLE GREBE or COMMON GREBE (Tachybaptus ruficollis). Information taken from WILDCREATURES OF HONG KONG book.

here are some new pics taken at Beas River and thanks to Paul for the opportunity to shoot there one morning...

and some older pics....

This little bird resembles a duckling, and

I am sure you will see it in the water—as I

have never seen one on land—as it cannot

walk very well. Conversely, it is an excellent

swimmer and diver. It will readily dive if

disturbed, surfacing unseen some way away,

and it uses this skill to pursue its fish and

aquatic invertebrate prey underwater. They

can be noisy, with a distinctive whinnying trill.

Also known as a dabchick in the UK.

SEE THEM: They can be best seen

around the fishponds, wetlands, and

other waterbodies in the New Territories,

particularly in the Deep Bay Area.

SPECIES ID: A distinctive species, very small,

predominantly dark with a rich, rufouscoloured

neck, bright yellow eyes, and a pale

gape patch at the base of the bill.