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Great crested grebe
family |
00.00.2002 |
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Ó Michael Woods |
A mother duck swimming
with her brood of downy ducklings 'at heel' is a charming
sight, but more so is a great crested grebe with its family
riding on its back. The tiny, boldly-striped heads of the
chicks can be seen rising from their cradle between the
parent's folded wings when the other parents brings them
food.
Great crested grebe chicks spend most of their first three
weeks of life on this floating nursery although they are
capable of swimming and diving from the outset. Presumably,
they are kept warm and safe from predators such as otters,
mink and pike. Occasionally, the adult forgets its burden
and dives. The chicks either stay put and emerge still in
place after a prolonged ducking or they bob up like corks on
their own and scramble back on board when the parent
surfaces.
Towards the end of their third week, the chicks spend more
time swimming and less being carried and when a month old
they are swimming freely. Family life now becomes less
perfect. The brood is usually divided between the parents,
with each one taking sole responsibility of some chicks.
They will not only refuse to feed chicks no longer in their
care but even actively drive them away. Each parent also
favours one chick and feeds it in preference to the others
in its group, which are fed only when the favourite is
sated. Such gross inequity is probably a way to ensure that
at least one or two chicks remain healthy if there is a
shortage of food.
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