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"Little Grebe Parenting" Part 5, Conflict over Territory

Updated: Aug 12, 2022

This blog introduces the breeding and child-rearing struggles of little grebes in Inokashira Park in 2017.


 


Six pairs of little grebes can be seen in Inokashira Park now.

The little grebe is a carnivorous bird with a fairly large territory for its small body.

A large fishing ground may be needed to catch a large amount of prey fish and shrimp to raise chicks.

In addition, it is so strong that even large cormorants cannot approach.

Be especially careful of little grebes while raising children or incubating.

In order to protect the child, he calmly confronts the large cormorant.

The cormorant also seems to know the fear of the little grebe while raising children, and the little grebe quickly escapes with a slight glare.

Whether on the water or under the surface, the little grebe will go over the enemy in terms of speed and instantaneous power.

Cormorants usually escape underwater, but even for cormorants that escape underwater, the little grebe thrusts its head into the water and confirms that the cormorant escapes.

If you don't run away, it seems that you are chasing and poking the cormorant even in the water.

Little grebe chicks will be a good food for cormorants, so the little grebe's parent bird will not be disappointed.

We will not destroy the system that can always respond to attacks from underwater.



カイツブリから退散する鵜

A cormorant that can't get close to the little grebe that is incubating


There is a cormorant resting place right next to the little grebe that continues to incubate at the side of Nanai Bridge, right next to the boat landing.

Is this little grebe weak in fights? I don't think this place is a good place to raise children.

If there is a chance, the cormorant will approach the nest aiming at the chick of the little grebe.

As the spot-Billed turtle approaches the nest, the little grebe attacks from the water.

The ducks, who were surprised and attacked by their feet from the water, seemed to be quite surprised.

"Guwa, Guwa ..." and escapes with a loud voice like a monster.

Surprisingly tired underwater attacks, it doesn't seem to be an accumulation for ducks.

It can be seen that even a duck with no such motives is quite nervous when passing near a little grebe raising a child.


Even between little grebes, fierce battles are fought around the territory.


Fight for territory, lose if you run away

Little Grebe (left), who was swimming with two chicks, invaded another person's territory and insisted on each other's territory, and the battle began.


The winner was the invading side, the one who was originally there lost, and the place was handed over.

A little away from the nest, a gray zone of territory with your neighbor.

There are quite a few conflicts like this.

Most of the time, even if you just quarrel and get into the territory of the other party, you will disperse as soon as you find the Lord.

This parent bird seems to have been confident of winning.

The defeated Little Grebe was also raising two chicks, but after the battle, she evacuated to this shore side.

After that, he continued fishing for the chicks, making sure that the winner, Little Grebe, would attack again.



to be continued

Next time, I will talk about chicks that grow up quickly.

 

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