Wind GrebePodiceps cristatus, also known as Lang Li Bai, Water Donkey, and Water Lao Pi, was the largest type of grebe. Its adult body length was 46 - 51 cm, wingspan was 85 - 90 cm, weight was 800 - 1000 grams, and lifespan was 10 - 15 years.
The phoenix-headed grebe's characteristics were more obvious. Its eyes were red, its beak was long and straight, and there was a black line at the tip of the beak that reached the eyes. Its neck was slender, its tail was short, its tail fat glands were feathered, its toes were flat, and its feet were webbed. The back and sides of the feathers are brown and maroon, and the front and lower parts of the neck are white. During the breeding season, there is a black feather crown on the top of the head, the cheeks are reddish-brown, and the tip has black feathers, but the female bird and the male bird look similar.
This kind of bird was mostly found in rivers, lakes, ponds, and other waters in low mountains and plains, especially in lakes with dense reeds and aquatic plants. They moved in pairs or in small groups. They were extremely good at swimming. In addition to normal swimming, they would also roll forward with their heads down in the water and then swim underwater at high speed.
In terms of food, they mainly feed on various aquatic insects, small shrimps, fish, and some aquatic plants. They also eat insect larvae, shrimps, prawns, crustaceans, mollusks, and other aquatic animals.
The phoenix-headed grebe is a seasonal migrating bird that breeds in Eastern Europe, southern Russia, Mongolia, China and other places. It will migrate to warm areas during the winter. The global population is about one million (2013). In 2019, it was assessed as a non-threatening (LC-species) species by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IFN) Red List of Endangered Species. It was also included in the 2023 List of Terrestrial Wild Animals of Important ecological, scientific and social value (draft for comments).
Its breeding period was from May to July, and there were various forms of courtship performances, including arranging feathers, diving, diving back to reeds, treading water vertically, chest bumping, opening the feather crown and shaking their heads to show love to each other, moving quickly and showing off their wings, etc. Once they established a relationship, they would build a floating nest in the reeds or water grass not far from the surface of the water. The nest was made of reeds or water grass leaves. The floating nest could rise and fall with the water level, and the heat generated by the fermentation of the wet grass used to build the nest helped the eggs hatch. Incubation begins after the first egg is laid. The tasks of building a nest, hatching eggs, and rearing chicks are taken care of by the male and female parent birds in turn. The incubation period is usually 3 - 4 weeks. The nestlings were born early and could swim in the water soon after hatching, but they were weak when they were born. They often climbed on the back of the parent bird or rested under the wings. The parent bird would carry the nestlings on its back and continue to hatch the remaining eggs. When raising the nestlings, the parent bird would also be highly vigilant to protect the nestlings.
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