The Least Grebe
Tachybaptus dominicus
zambullidor menor
Voice: Loud, nasal, high-pitched “beeek” or high-pitched, buzzy, chattering “vvvvvvvvvvvvvvv”
Status: Uncommon to locally common resident of freshwater ponds and oxbow lakes (resacas) in south Texas. Occasionally found along the Rio Grande. Numbers fluctuate from year to year. Some years they can be fairly common (in good habitat), while other years virtually absent. Birds range from Laguna Atascosa NWR in the east to the Falcon Dam area in the west. Not found on the immediate coast.
Habitat: Sheltered freshwater ponds bordered with vegetation.
Best Spots: The resaca at Sabal Palm Grove, Willow and Pintail Lakes at Santa Ana NWR, McAllen Sewage Ponds, World Birding Center Edinburg Scenic Wetlands, and the “dike” pond at WBC Bentsen SP.
Similar Species: Pied-billed Grebe. Least Grebe can be distinguished from Pied-billed Grebe by its thinner bill, golden eye, and contrasting (and sharply demarked) dark crown. These buoyant birds often show tufts of white feathers in the rear of the bird.
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