Madagascar Grebe (Tachybaptus pelzelnii)

The Madagascar grebe feeds primarily on aquatic insects and crustaceans, and occasionally they will also take small fish (3). They obtain food by diving, or by seizing prey from the water's surface. They also consume feathers which form a ball in the centre of the stomach and a plug in the pyloric region. The main function of this may be to rid the grebe of gastric parasites when the ball is regurgitated (6). Madagascar grebes are territorial breeders that lay eggs from February to April, and August to October (2) (3). Their nests are floating platforms of aquatic plants, usually anchored well offshore in water lily areas, onto which clutches of three to four eggs are laid (6). If the pools or lakes that they inhabit dry up or reduce in size, these grebes will disperse to new water bodies (2).

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