The tricolored grebe is a bird in the family Podicipedidae sometimes considered conspecific with the little grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis. It is native to maritime Southeast Asia and northern parts of Australasia. The IOC treats it as a distinct species; not all other taxonomic authorities do so, some still consider it conspecific with little grebe.
Region
Maritime Southeast Asia and New Guinea
Typical Environment
Occurs widely on lowland freshwater wetlands across the Philippines, eastern Indonesia (Sulawesi, Maluku), and New Guinea. It favors sheltered lakes, ponds, marshes, and slow backwaters with abundant emergent vegetation. It also uses man-made habitats such as rice paddies and reservoirs and occasionally brackish mangrove lagoons. It avoids open coast and strong-flow rivers. Nest sites are typically in dense reedbeds or floating vegetation mats.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 2000 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
A small diving grebe of the family Podicipedidae, it is treated as a distinct species by the IOC but is considered conspecific with the Little Grebe by some authorities. It is an agile underwater hunter with lobed toes and is often reluctant to fly, preferring to dive to escape danger. In breeding plumage it shows a rich chestnut neck and cheeks with a distinct yellow gape patch. It builds floating nests anchored to emergent vegetation.
Temperament
secretive and active diver
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats; reluctant flier, usually skims low over water
Social Behavior
Usually seen singly or in pairs, forming small loose groups outside the breeding season where habitat is abundant. Courtship involves trills, head-shaking, and mutual displays on the water. Nests are floating platforms of plant matter anchored to reeds, with both parents participating in incubation and chick care.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Vocal, especially at dawn and dusk, giving sharp trills and whinnying calls that carry over water. Calls are repetitive and accelerating, used to advertise territory and coordinate pairs.
Plumage
Compact, dark-bodied grebe with smooth, waterproof contour feathers; breeding birds show a rich chestnut neck and cheeks contrasting with a darker crown and back, and a small yellow gape patch at the bill base. Non-breeding birds are duller brown with a paler throat and less contrast. The rear is fluffy, forming a small 'powder-puff'.
Diet
Feeds mainly on aquatic insects and their larvae, small fish, tadpoles, and crustaceans, supplemented by mollusks. It captures prey by quick, frequent dives, often swallowing small items underwater. Like other grebes, it may ingest feathers to aid in forming pellets that protect the digestive tract.
Preferred Environment
Forages along vegetated margins of ponds, lakes, and marsh channels where cover and prey are plentiful. It uses emergent reeds and floating plants for concealment, often hunting in sheltered coves and rice fields.
