the.com/grebe
a diving bird so committed to water it forgot how to walk on land
means A small to medium-sized diving waterbird with lobed toes and legs set far back on the body, known for swimming and diving expertly but moving awkwardly on land.
from From French 'grèbe,' a word of obscure origin that English borrowed in the 18th century. The French itself is murky — possibly from a regional or Breton source — and honestly, no one is certain where it ultimately came from, which feels fitting for a bird that spends its life vanishing underwater.
- feather eating
- swallows its own feathers to protect against fish bones
- weird feet
- lobed toes, not webbed, set far back on body
- water dance
- pairs sprint upright across water in synchronized courtship
- chick taxi
- carries babies on its back while swimming
western grebe — north american water bird famous for synchronized dancing courtship displays on lakes
great crested grebe — european species that nearly went extinct in uk by 1860s, recovered after protection
titicaca grebe — flightless grebe found only on lake titicaca in peru and bolivia, critically endangered