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Algeria hosts 55 Ramsar sites of international significance, serving as crucial habitats for a wide range of migratory, wintering, and breeding waterbird species. Despite this, research on the ectoparasites of aquatic avifauna in Algeria remains limited. This study aims to investigate the ectoparasite diversity infesting the Little Grebe ( Tachybaptus ruficollis Pallas, 1764) and the Great Crested Grebe ( Podiceps cristatus Linnaeus, 1758) in northeastern Algeria. To do so, we examined grebes of both species at Lake Tonga between 2022 and 2023. A total of 8,057 ectoparasites were collected, 24 of which belonged to Phthiraptera and 8,033 to Acari. Two lice species were identified: Aquanirmus podicipis Denny, 1842, belonging to the suborder Ischnocera, infesting the Great Crested Grebe and Pseudomenopon dolium Rudow, 1869, from the suborder Amblycera, infesting the Little Grebe. As for Acari, we identified two mite species belonging to the suborder Astigmata (Pterolichoidea; Ptiloxenidae): Ptiloxenus major Mégnin & Trouessart, 1884, and Ptiloxenus colymbi Canestrini, 1878 the latter of which had not been reported since its original description. This study reports a new host-parasite association in the global mite fauna (Great Crested Grebe - Ptiloxenus colymbi Canestrini, 1878). All the identified ectoparasite species are reported for the first time in Algeria. Feather mite infestation did not differ significantly between breeding and wintering seasons and showed only a weak correlation with host morphometric parameters. These findings suggest that neither season nor body size strongly influence feather mite dynamics in the studied grebes, while still providing valuable insights into their host-parasite relationships.

It is journal policy for The Auk: Ornithological Advances to use the Checklist of North American Birds for English-language bird names. Accordingly, Podiceps nigricollis californicus refers to the Eared Grebe throughout the article published on July 22, 2015, in The Auk 132(4):771–786, doi 10.1642/AUK-14-259.1.

Taolimiao‐Alashan Nur (T‐A Nur) is an important breeding site for the Relict Gulls (Larus relictus) and many other waterbirds. To understand the gut health status of rare bird species living there and to protect these bird species, this study analyzed the gut microbiota of four waterbird species, including Relict Gull (L. relictus), Black‐necked Grebe (Podiceps nigricollis), Greylag Goose (Anser anser), and Ruddy Shelduck (Tadorna ferruginea), using 16S rRNA high‐throughput sequencing. Results showed that the gut microbiota of Ruddy Shelduck had the highest α‐diversity, while Greylag Goose had the lowest. The composition of gut microbiota varied significantly among the bird species. The dominant bacterial phylum in the guts of Black‐necked Grebe, Greylag Goose, and Ruddy Shelduck was Firmicutes, while it was Pseudomonadota in Relict Gull. At the genus level, the dominant bacteria were Halomonas in Black‐necked Grebe, Escherichia‐Shigella in Relict Gull, Ligilactobacillus in Greylag Goose, and Enterococcus in Ruddy Shelduck. Correlation analysis revealed significant relationships among gut bacterial communities, suggesting that gut bacteria can regulate host metabolism and physiological state by their interactions. KEGG functional predictions indicated that gut microbiota were primarily involved in metabolism. The abundance of metabolism‐related microorganisms in Relict Gull was significantly lower than in Greylag Goose and Ruddy Shelduck, indicating that the gut microbiota of Greylag Goose and Ruddy Shelduck can provide stronger metabolic functions for the hosts. Additionally, microorganisms related to human diseases were more abundant in the gut of Relict Gull compared to Ruddy Shelduck and Black‐necked Grebe, and in Greylag Goose compared to Ruddy Shelduck. These findings suggested that the gut microbiota of birds in this area harbor some human pathogens, which warrants attention and preventive measures. This study analyzed the gut microbiota of four waterbird species including Relict Gull (Larus relictus), Black‐necked Grebe (Podiceps nigricollis), Greylag Goose (Anser anser), and Ruddy Shelduck (Tadorna ferruginea) using 16S rRNA high‐throughput sequencing in T‐A Nur in Erdos Relic Gull National Nature Reserve, Inner Mongolia, China to understand the survival status of rare bird species living there.

\"Meet the puteketeke. This bird rocks a spiky mohawk. It swims with its babies on its back. The animal eats its own feathers -- and then vomits them up to get rid of parasites! The puteketeke has dance moves too.\" (News-O-Matic) Read more about the puteketeke bird, also called an Australasian crested grebe.

In birds where males and females are similar in size and plumage, sex determination by alternative means is necessary. Discriminant function analysis based on external morphometrics was used to distinguish males from females in two closely related species: Western Grebe (Aechmophorus occidentalis) and Clark's Grebe (A. clarkii). Additionally, discriminant function analysis was used to evaluate morphometric divergence between Western and Clark's grebe adults and eggs. Aechmophorus grebe adults (n = 576) and eggs (n = 130) were sampled across 29 lakes and reservoirs throughout California, USA, and adult sex was determined using molecular analysis. Both Western and Clark's grebes exhibited considerable sexual size dimorphism. Males averaged 6–26% larger than females among seven morphological measurements, with the greatest sexual size dimorphism occurring for bill morphometrics. Discriminant functions based on bill length, bill depth, and short tarsus length correctly assigned sex to 98% of Western Grebes, and a function based on bill length and bill depth correctly assigned sex to 99% of Clark's Grebes. Further, a simplified discriminant function based only on bill depth correctly assigned sex to 96% of Western Grebes and 98% of Clark's Grebes. In contrast, external morphometrics were not suitable for differentiating between Western and Clark's grebe adults or their eggs, with correct classification rates of discriminant functions of only 60%, 63%, and 61% for adult males, adult females, and eggs, respectively. Our results indicate little divergence in external morphology between species of Aechmophorus grebes, and instead separation is much greater between males and females.

Aim Artisanal fisheries account for 40% of the world's fisheries catch, yet its environmental impacts remain poorly understood. This is especially the case in developing countries. In this study, we sought to integrate Local Fisher's Knowledge with distribution modelling to estimate the annual bycatch of Titicaca Grebe (Rollandia microptera), an endangered endemic bird from Lake Titicaca whose main anthropogenic threat is bycatch. Location Lake Titicaca, Peru and Bolivia. Methods We conducted transect and point counts of fishing nets in March–September 2022 and conducted interviews with fishers across the Lake Titicaca region. Using bathymetry, distance from shore, distance from a settlement, distance from the protected area, presence/absence of aquaculture, distance from aquaculture, and wetland cover, we constructed a distribution model of fisheries using maximum entropy modelling. We conducted interviews with fishers asking about the frequency of grebe bycatch and conducted short‐term monitoring at various sites while conducting transect points for dead grebes. Results We estimate 3270 km2 of the surface area of Lake Titicaca is used for fishing, which amounts to 39.40% of the lake's surface area. The area under the curve (AUC) of the distribution model was 0.89 and the True Skill Statistic was 0.67, which suggests maximum entropy modelling can model fisheries occurrence. The results of our interviews suggested a biologically implausible large number of grebes caught as bycatch annually. The cultural context of the interviews, including potential influences of non‐response and social‐desirability bias, being with fishers who often view the Titicaca Grebe as a nuisance species, might have caused over‐reporting of bycatch and hence led to these implausible figures. Main Conclusions It is possible to map fisheries using distribution models as one might with species. However, obtaining accurate measures of fisheries bycatch through interviews is more difficult, due to cultural factors which affect the accuracy in fisher's responses. While we hope that this method provides a low‐cost alternative to monitoring, it is not a suitable replacement for it.

A quantitative investigation examining the effect of changes in wetland habitat on reproductive output of Western and Clark's grebes (Aechmophorus occidentalis and A. clarkii, respectively) was conducted. Earlier studies examined local factors influencing nest success. This study supplements earlier work by seeking to determine which landscape-level habitat elements best predict annual landscape-level reproductive output of grebes. Western and Clark's grebes were monitored during the breeding season from 14 September 1998 to 20 September 2010 at Eagle Lake, California, USA. Remotely-sensed images were used to develop habitat indices and quantify changes in wetland availability and quality. The effect of these indices, and lake level, on annual reproductive output was analyzed using an information theoretic approach. Indices of habitat availability (βi = 0.20, 95% CI = 0.099–0.31) and habitat quality (βi = 0.28, 95% CI = 0.012–0.45) best predicted and had a positive effect on annual reproductive output. Lake level had little direct predictive power but was highly correlated with the other habitat covariates (Pearson's r > 0.80), indicating its importance as an indirect predictor of reproductive output. Thresholds of habitat availability and habitat quality were found, below which steep declines in reproductive output were observed.

The effects of season, location, species, and sex on body weight and a comprehensive array of blood chemistry and hematology analytes were compared for free-ranging western (Aechmophorus occidentalis) and Clark's (Aechmophorus clarkii) grebes. Birds (n = 56) were collected from Puget Sound, WA, and Monterey Bay and San Francisco Bay, CA, from February 2007 to March 2011. The data supported generalization of observed ranges for most analytes across Aechmophorus grebe metapopulations wintering on the Pacific coast. Notable seasonal and location effects were observed for packed cell volume (winter 6% greater than fall; winter California [CA] 5% greater than Washington [WA]), total white blood cell count (CA 3.57 × 103 cells/µL greater than WA), heterophils (WA 10% greater than CA), lymphocytes (winter 19% greater than fall), heterophil to lymphocyte ratio (fall 5.7 greater than winter), basophils (CA greater than WA), plasma protein (WA about 10 g/L [1.0 g/dL] greater than CA), plasma protein to fibrinogen ratio (winter about 15 greater than fall), potassium (CA 2 mmol/L greater than WA), and liver enzymes (alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, lactate dehydrogenase: WA greater than CA). Within California, season had a greater effect on body mass than sex (mean winter weights about 200 g greater than fall), whereas within a season, males weighed only about 80 g more than females, on average. These data give biologists and veterinarians quantitative reference values to better assess health at the individual and metapopulation level.