Madagascar Grebe
Tachybaptus pelzelnii
Small, dark grebe that is endemic to Madagascar. The neck is rufous and white in breeding plumage and buff in non-breeding plumage. Juvenile has a bridled head pattern. Found very locally on the open water of lakes and ponds. Call is a long, dry rattle, often given in duet by a pair. Similar to Little Grebe, but generally much less common, especially at lower elevations. In breeding plumage, Madagascar Grebe is identified by its white throat patch. In non-breeding plumage, hard to distinguish from Little Grebe, but usually still shows a pale patch on the throat.
Identification
The Madagascar grebe is around 25 cm long. It can be identified in its breeding plumage, consisting of a blackish cap and line down the neck, often reddish rear ear-coverts and sides of the neck, pale grey cheeks, throat and foreneck. Some individuals have a narrow whitish line under the eye between the cap and ear-coverts.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Tachybaptus pelzelnii
- Authority
- (Hartlaub, 1861)
- Order
- Podicipediformes
- Family
- Podicipedidae
- Genus
- Tachybaptus
Range and habitat
The species is widespread throughout western and central Madagascar. Pairs can commonly be found near lakes. Surveys in the late 1990s recorded the species at 25 'Important Bird Areas' distributed throughout Madagascar, but it is suspected to be undergoing rapid declines. Numbers on Lake Alaotra have plummeted: in 1985 several hundred individuals were recorded, only 10–20 in 1993, and none in 1999. The forested lakes of the northwest plateau may harbour 100-200 individuals. The current total population may number as few as 1,500-2,500 individuals.<p>T. pelzelnii appears to prefer shallow, freshwater lakes and pools, with a dense covering of lily-pads, but it has also been found in several much deeper lakes. Has occasionally been seen near brackish waters and slow-flowing rivers.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The Madagascar grebe probably feeds mostly on insects, but is also known to take small fish and crustaceans. It is generally sedentary, but will move in search of more suitable habitat. The breeding season may span the months of August to March. Although breeding pairs are typically territorial, communally nesting groups of 150 individuals have been recorded. Nests are built on a floating structure of aquatic plants, anchored to offshore vegetation, normally waterlilies.
Conservation
Various conservation actions are currently underway that benefit the Madagascar grebe. It has been recorded in six protected areas. To prioritise the wetlands for protection, a monitoring procedure has been proposed that uses birds, particularly T. pelzelnii, as indicators. The Malagasy government has recently ratified the Ramsar Convention, which is likely to improve conservation measures for wetlands and initiate dedicated studies of the decline of this species.
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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