Grebe
[1] Grebes are widely distributed freshwater birds, with some species also found in marine habitats during migration and winter.Although, superficially, they resemble other diving birds such as loons and coots, they are most closely related to flamingos, as supported by morphological, molecular and paleontological data.About a third of the world's grebes are listed at various levels of conservation concerns—the biggest threats including habitat loss, the introduction of invasive predatory fish and human poaching.The appearance of "grebe" in the English language was introduced in 1768 by the Welsh naturalist Thomas Pennant when he adopted the word for the family.The clade names "Podicipediformes" and "Podicipedidae" is based on the genus Podiceps which is a combination of Latin of podex, gen. podicis ("rear-end" or "anus") and pes ("foot"), a reference to the placement of a grebe's legs towards the rear of its body.The function of this behaviour is uncertain, but it is believed to assist with pellet formation, excreting out internal parasites and protecting their insides from sharp bone material during digestion.However, most have ornate and distinctive breeding plumages, often developing chestnut markings on the head area, and perform elaborate display rituals.[13] For the grebe-flamingo clade, the taxon Mirandornithes ("miraculous birds" due to their extreme divergence and apomorphies) has been proposed.The extinct stem-flamingo family Palaelodidae have been suggested to be the transitional linkage between the filter-feeding flamingos and the foot-propelled diving grebes.The evidence for this comes from the overall similarity between the foot and limb structure of grebes and palaeloids, suggesting the latter family of waterbirds were able to swim and dive better than flamingos.[14][15]: 105–109 [16] True grebes suddenly appear in the fossil record in the Late Oligocene or Early Miocene, around 23–25 mya.During the warmer or breeding seasons, many species of grebes in the northern hemisphere reside in a variety of freshwater habitats like lakes and marshes.Some, like those species in the genus Podiceps do a "penguin dance" where the male and female stand upright, breast posturing out and run along the water's surface.A similar ritual in other species is the "weed dance" in which both partners hold pieces of aquatic vegetation in their bills and are positioned upright towards each other.[citation needed] In the smaller and basal genera like Tachybaptus and Podilymbus, there is incorporation of aquatic vegetation in their courtship, but it is not as elaborate as the more derived and larger species.The life cycle of these tapeworms begins when eggs are passed through the feces, where they are picked by intermediate hosts, which include corixid bugs and the nymphs of Odonata.Another major group of parasites are the two mites of the families Rhinonyssidae and Ereynetidae; these infect the nasal passages of grebes.Theromyzon ("duck leeches") tend to feed in the nasal cavities of waterbirds in general, including grebes.
Grebe (disambiguation)Early MioceneHolocenePreꞒGreat crested grebeScientific classificationEukaryotaAnimaliaChordataNeoavesMirandornithesFürbringerBonaparteType genusPodicepsPodilymbiniPodicipediniMiobaptusMiodytesPliolymbusThiornisfreshwatermarinemigrationfamilyspeciesgeneraflamingosmorphologicalpaleontologicalmonogamouspoachingThomas Pennantlittle grebeleast grebegreat grebered-necked grebetarsometatarsuscarpometacarpusphalangesplumageuropygial glandspreeningpelletventralbuoyancyanatomyColymbiformesconvergent evolutionselectiveapomorphiesfossil recordJuncitarsusPalaelodidaeOligoceneMioceneAechmophorusAechmophorus elassonPiacenzianMiobaptus huzhiricusBurdigalianLanghianMiobaptus walteriAquitanianMiodytes serbicusPliolymbus baryosteusGelasianPodiceps arndtiPodiceps csarnotanusPodiceps discorsPodiceps dixiChibanianTarantianPodiceps howardaeZancleanPodiceps miocenicusTortonianPodiceps oligoceanusPodiceps parvusCalabrianPodiceps solidusPodilymbusPodilymbus majusculusPodilymbus wetmoreiThiornis sociataPoliocephalusTachybaptus dominicusTachybaptus novaehollandiaeTachybaptus ruficollisRollandiaPodicephorusTachybaptusDominicusPodiceps nigricollisPodiceps occipitalisPodiceps auritusPodiceps cristatusPodiceps grisegenaPodiceps majorPied-billed grebeAtitlán grebeextinctAustralasian grebeMadagascar grebeTricolored grebeAlaotra grebeHoary-headed grebeNew Zealand grebeWestern grebeClark's grebeHorned grebeHooded grebeBlack-necked grebeSilvery grebeJunín grebeColombian grebeTiticaca grebeWhite-tufted grebewaterbirdsAntarcticaArctic CircleMadagascarNew Zealandeared grebeJunin grebemarshes