The little grebe (Anas crecca) is the smallest among ducks that can be seen in Slovenia. From the tip of the bill to the end of the tail, it is 34 to 38 cm long, and its wingspan measures 53 to 59 cm. The female little grebe is camouflaged – with a brown speckled pattern it blends in well with dense aquatic or edge vegetation. In coloration, it is difficult to tell apart from females of other duck species. The most striking are its size and the gleaming green ’eye-spots’ on the upper side of the wings right next to the body. The male has ’eye-spots’ of the same color, but unlike the female its colors are very conspicuous. Its marbled flanks look gray from a distance, the pale yellowish chest and belly are speckled with dark spots. During the breeding season its head and neck are distinctly reddish-brown, with a green stripe running over the eyes toward the nape with a thin yellow border. The back and wings are gray, a white stripe runs along the flanks, which is further emphasized by a black stripe beneath it. The male can be recognized from afar by a black-bordered yellow patch of plumage under the tail.
The little grebe is a diurnal duck that feeds during the day, but in the colder part of the year, especially during the hunting season, it usually searches for food at night. In spring and summer it mainly feeds on animal-based food – insects, small crustaceans and other aquatic invertebrates. In autumn and winter the little grebe focuses on seeds of aquatic plants (macrophytes), grasses and sedges, and on seeds of cereals left in fields.
The nest is built in a depression on the ground. It is usually hidden in marsh vegetation or under a shrub near the water. It nests from April or May to July. It prefers shallow, heavily vegetated water bodies near a forest. It nests not only on suitable lakes and rivers but also on wetlands with brackish water (a mix of seawater and freshwater). Outside the breeding season it occurs in similar habitats as during the breeding season.
Overall, the little grebe is mainly endangered by loss and degradation of suitable habitat. In lowlands its habitat disappears due to river regulation and drainage of wetlands, at higher elevations, suitable water bodies are threatened by intensive forestation and other changes in traditional land use. Sport hunting in some European countries, North America, and the Middle East also has a negative impact on the population of this species, and grebes suffer a significant mortal toll from lead-shot poisoning, which they ingest along with their food. In Slovenia, the little grebe is a very rare breeder and is recognized as a highly endangered species.
