Little grebe

    Tachybaptus ruficollis

Castilian: Zampullín chico

Catalan: Cabusset

Gallego: Mergullón pequeño

Euskera: Txilinporta txikia

CLASIFICACIÓN:

Orden: Podicipediformes

Family: Podicipedidae

Migratory status: Permanent resident

CONSERVATION STATUS:

On the National List of Threatened Species, it appears in the “Of Special Interest” category.

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THREATS

Loss or degradation of the quality of wetlands due to pollution, eutrofisation, and reed burning all alter its habitat.

Length / size: 25-29 cm / 40-45 cm

Identification: It is the smallest grebe and has a pudgy appearance. Its winter plumage is a dark brown colour, with the throat and lower areas being lighter; in summer its colour is generally black, which contrasts with its chestnut brown neck and its typical yellow spot at the corner of its bill. It frequently ducks into water to dive and look for food, appearing in a different place after each time it submerges itself.

Song: It makes a high-pitched, quivering and far-reaching sound, "beet-beet-beebeebeebeebee". In winter it is silent.

Diet: It feeds on small organisms such as aquatic insects, larvae, mollusks, amphibians, etc. To capture them, it dives, travels several metres, and surfaces in a different place.

Reproduction: It breeds in spring, taking advantage of the development of the emerging aquatic vegetation. Both sexes are responsible for building the nest, a floating platform made of plant matter and anchored to vegetation. The chicks leave the nest within a few hours of hatching, climbing onto the adult's back to look for food.de nacer, subiéndose a la espalda del adulto para buscar comida.

HABITAT

It occupies all types of wetlands, both natural (lakes, marshes) and man-made (reservoirs, canals), although it prefers places with good river or riverbank plant cover for breeding.

DISTRIBUTION

In Spain: It is distributed throughout the entire country, avoiding high elevation areas. It is not present in the Canary Islands, Ceuta or Melilla.

In Castile and León: It is distributed throughout the entire community, although the most abundant populations are found in Salamanca and western Burgos.

Movements and migrations: The species can behave as migratory, resident or make scattered migrations, depending on the place. In winter, the northernmost populations move to places where the water surface does not freeze. In more temperate areas, they make scattered migrations to more protected enclaves.

POPULATION

In Spain: There is an estimated population of 5200-8000 breeding pairs.

In Castile and León: There is an estimated population of 1200-1600 breeding pairs.