Rollandia rolland
The White-tufted Grebe (Rollandia rolland) is a captivating and widespread aquatic bird of South America, renowned for its striking appearance and specialized diving abilities. Measuring 24-30 cm (9.4-11.8 inches) in length and weighing 180-250 grams (6.3-8.8 ounces), this small grebe boasts a compact, torpedo-shaped body. In its resplendent breeding plumage, it features a glossy black head and neck, complemented by a distinctive fan of white, filamentous feathers (the 'tufts') extending from...
Found primarily in freshwater environments, including lakes, ponds, slow-moving rivers, and marshes, typically from sea level up to high Andean lakes at 4,000 meters.
Their diet consists mainly of aquatic insects, their larvae, and small fish, supplemented with crustaceans and tadpoles, all captured through agile underwater pursuit-diving.
White-tufted Grebes are primarily diurnal, spending their days foraging and maintaining territories, often roosting on the water's surface at night. They are consummate aquatic predators, employing pursuit-diving to catch prey, propelling themselves with powerful, lobed feet. During the breeding ...
The White-tufted Grebe is widely distributed across temperate and subtropical South America, with two recognized subspecies. *Rollandia rolland rolland* breeds from southern Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay, and northern Argentina south through Patagonia to Tierra del Fuego and the Falkland Islands. *Ro...
Least Concern
- White-tufted Grebes, like all grebes, regularly eat their own feathers, possibly to aid digestion by forming a filter in their stomach for fish bones or to protect the stomach lining. - Chicks are famously carried on the parents' backs, nestled safely under their wings, providing warmth, protec...