Little grebe
Tachybaptus ruficollis (Pallas, 1764)
The little grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis) is a bird in the family Podicipedidae, order Podicipediformes, also called the dabchick or tricolored grebe. It is a small bird with an adult body mass of 169.4 g, with reported values from 167.1 to 180.4 g, and a wingspan of 42 cm.
Quick facts about the little grebe
The little grebe is a sedentary, aquatic carnivore of wetland habitat, classed as an aquatic predator, and is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN, not a threatened category. It lays clutches of 5 eggs, 2 clutches per year, with an incubation period of 20.5 days, and has a lifespan of 13.08 years, with reported values up to 17.5 years.
- Weight
- 167.1 g – 180.4 gsrc for Weight
- Length
- 23 cm – 29 cmsrc for Length
- Wingspan
- 42 cmsrc for Wingspan
- Lifespan
- 13.1 years – 17.5 yearssrc for Lifespan
- Diet
- Aquatic predatorsrc for Diet
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- wetlandsrc for Habitat
- Egg incubation
- 20.5 dayssrc for Egg incubation
- Young per litter or clutch
- 3.7 – 5src for Young per litter or clutch
- Age at maturity
- 12 months – 17.9 monthssrc for Age at maturity
- Litters or clutches a year
- 2src for Litters or clutches a year
- Lifestyle
- Aquaticsrc for Lifestyle
- Migration
- Sedentarysrc for Migration
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
How big is the little grebe?
Photos of the little grebe
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
.jpg){kind=link}
1 more photo exists under a licence we cannot display: view at source.
Where does the little grebe live?
Not recorded
What is the little grebe?
The little grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis), also known as the dabchick, is a member of the grebe family of water birds. The genus name is from Ancient Greek takhus "fast" and bapto "to sink under". The specific ruficollis is from Latin rufus "red" and Modern Latin -collis, "-necked", itself derived from Latin collum "neck".
At 23 to 29 centimetres (9 to 11+1⁄2 inches) in length it is the smallest European, Asian, and African member of its family. It is commonly found in open bodies of water across most of its range.
From the Wikipedia article “Little grebe” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Little_grebe&oldid=1363715964), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
What does the little grebe sound like?
Is the little grebe endangered?
The little grebe is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.
How is the little grebe classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classAves
- orderPodicipediformes
- familyPodicipedidae
- genusTachybaptus
- SpeciesTachybaptus ruficollis (Pallas, 1764)
Synonyms Colymbus fluviatilis, Colymbus fuscus, Colymbus minor, Colymbus ruficollis, Podiceps melanogenius, Podiceps minor, Podiceps pusilla, Podiceps ruficollis, Podicipes fluviatilis, Poliocephalus ruficollis, Tachybaptus fluviatilis, Tachybaptus ruficollis fluviatilis
Other names and names in other languages (144)
- DabchickEnglish
- LIGREnglish
- Tricolored grebeEnglish
- Tricoloured grebeEnglish
- KleindobbertjieAfrikaans
- Kaapse DuikertjieAfrikaans
- Kleindobbertjie (Kleinduikertjie)Afrikaans
- زهوتArabic
- الغطاس الصغيرArabic
- غطاس صغيرArabic
- Capucete chicotAragonese
- ParruluAsturian
- somorguyínAsturian
- Kiçik maygülüAzerbaijani
- Коўра малаяBelarusian
- Малая коўраBelarusian
- Малък гмурецBulgarian
- ডুবুরিBangla
- Plomerig rousBreton
- SetmesóCatalan
- CabussetCatalan
- cabusset comúCatalan
- Изи вишкӹрMari
- Пӗчӗк чӑмкӑҫChuvash
- gwyach fachWelsh
- Gwyachod BachWelsh
- lille lappedykkerDanish
- ZwergtaucherGerman
- ZwergsteißfußGerman
- ΝανοβουτηχτάριGreek
- Κοκκινόλαιμο νανοβουτηχτάριGreek
- eta greboEsperanto
- zampullín comúnSpanish
- väikepütt e. punakael-püttEstonian
- punakael-püttEstonian
- VäikepüttEstonian
- Txilinporta txikiBasque
- TɔmekpakpaxeEwe
- کشیم کوچکPersian
- pikku-uikkuFinnish
- SmágjørFaroese
- GrébionFrench
- grèbe castagneuxFrench
- Petit grèbeFrench
- EersföötjNorthern Frisian
- DûkerkeWestern Frisian
- Tomaire beagIrish
- spàg ri tònScottish Gaelic
- gobhlan-uisgeScottish Gaelic
- gobhlanan-uisgeScottish Gaelic
- spàg ri tònanScottish Gaelic
- Spàg-ri-tònScottish Gaelic
- spágaire tonnScottish Gaelic
- Mergullón pequenoGalician
- Greeb begManx
- નાની ડુબકીGujarati
- טבלן גמדHebrew
- טבלן גמדיHebrew
- MukkulippanHindi
- Patuljasti gnjuracCroatian
- kis vöcsökHungarian
- Փոքր սուզակArmenian
- Titihan telagaIndonesian
- DverggoðiIcelandic
- Dverggo?iIcelandic
- TuffettoItalian
- カイツブリJapanese
- 鳰Japanese
- პატარა კოკონაGeorgian
- TechKashmiri
- БабыщыпцӀэKabardian
- Grebe ntoKinyarwanda
- Кішкене сұқсырKazakh
- ពពុះទឹកKhmer
- ಗುಳುಮುಳುಕKannada
- 논병아리Korean
- پێ بەقوونەKurdish
- سۆنەبناڤکا بچووک / قەرەجەکKurdish
- Sonebinavika biçûkKurdish
- Gryb lyhaCornish
- DäichelchenLuxembourgish
- mažasis kragasLithuanian
- paprastasis mažasis kragasLithuanian
- mazais dūkurisLatvian
- FanaliandroMalagasy
- мал нуркачMacedonian
- ШтипчеMacedonian
- മുങ്ങാങ്കോഴിMalayalam
- Blonġun ŻgħirMaltese
- Хурган шунгуурMongolian
- Manusingémnv
- टिबुकलीMarathi
- Burung Grebe KecilMalay
- ထန်းစေ့မှုတ်ငှက်Burmese
- حسن چلاییMazanderani
- dvergdykkerNorwegian Bokmål
- डुबुल्कीचराNepali
- dodaarsDutch
- dvergdukkarNorwegian Nynorsk
- ਡੁਬਕਣੀPunjabi
- UisPampanga
- perkozekPolish
- perkozek (zwyczajny)Polish
- نکا گریبWestern Panjabi
- mergulhão-pequenoPortuguese
- mergulhão-pequeno-castanhoPortuguese
- Sfunsella naninaRomansh
- Corcodel micRomanian
- Поганка малаяRussian
- малая поганкаRussian
- Пірникоза карликоваRusyn
- Smaw doukerScots
- UhcabuokčaNorthern Sami
- DeaggabuokčaNorthern Sami
- deaggabuokčáNorthern Sami
- deaggabuokčiNorthern Sami
- potápka maláSlovak
- mali ponirekSlovenian
- ThobolokoSouthern Sotho
- futësi i vogëlAlbanian
- kredharaku i vogëlAlbanian
- zhytra e vogëlAlbanian
- Mali gnjuracSerbian
- Мали гњурацSerbian
- CabussoniSardinian
- smådoppingSwedish
- Kibisi mdogoSwahili
- சிறு முக்குளிப்பான்Tamil
- นกเป็ดผีเล็กThai
- yumurta piciTurkish
- kucuk bataganTurkish
- küçük batağanTurkish
- yumurta piçiTurkish
- seNwediTswana
- Бичии ырыксысTuvinian
- mала поганкаUkrainian
- Пірникоза малаUkrainian
- Le hôiVietnamese
- UnolwilwilwiXhosa
- 小䴙䴘Chinese
- 小鷿鷈Chinese
- 小鸊鷈Chinese
- 小鸊鷉Chinese
- 小Chinese
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistTAXREFWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List
Relatives of the little grebe
Other species in the same genus Tachybaptus.
Rusty grebe
Tachybaptus rufolavatus
Australian grebe
Tachybaptus novaehollandiae
Least grebe
Tachybaptus dominicus
Madagascan grebe
Tachybaptus pelzelnii
Tricolored grebe
Tachybaptus tricolor
CompareLittle grebe vs Rusty grebeLittle grebe vs Australian grebeLittle grebe vs Least grebeLittle grebe vs Madagascan grebe
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is the little grebe?
The little grebe is a bird in the family Podicipedidae and the order Podicipediformes.
How big is the little grebe?
It is a small bird with an adult body mass of 169.4 g and a wingspan of 42 cm. Reported body mass values range from 167.1 to 180.4 g.
What does the little grebe eat?
The little grebe is an aquatic predator and a carnivore that forages in an aquatic setting.
Where does the little grebe live?
The little grebe lives in wetland habitat and is sedentary.
Is the little grebe endangered?
No. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.
How long does the little grebe live?
The little grebe has a lifespan of 13.08 years, with reported values up to 17.5 years.
How many eggs does the little grebe lay?
It lays clutches of 5 eggs, with 2 clutches per year and an incubation period of 20.5 days.
Who named the little grebe?
The scientific name Tachybaptus ruficollis is credited to (Pallas, 1764).
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · CC0 1.0 · E096-269
Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1 - AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds · CC BY 4.0 · v7
Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Little grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/little-grebe
“Little grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/little-grebe.
@misc{little_grebe_2026,
title = {Little grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/little-grebe},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}