Facts about Atitlan Grebe

1. 07

   Only 30 centimeters long on average, the Atitlan Grebe ranks among the smallest grebe species in the world.

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2. 06

   Introduced largemouth bass in Lake Atitlan during the 1950s became a major predator of Atitlan Grebe eggs and chicks, contributing significantly to the species' population collapse.

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3. 05

   Fewer than 25 individual Atitlan Grebes remained in 2019, making it one of the world's most critically endangered bird species with extinction risk imminent.

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4. 04

   In 1989, biologists identified the Atitlan Grebe's unusual breeding behavior of constructing floating nests from aquatic vegetation anchored to lake bottom plants.

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5. 03

   Flightless by design, the Atitlan Grebe's wings atrophied over evolutionary time, leaving it entirely dependent on Lake Atitlan for survival and escape from predators.

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6. 02

   Approximately 80 percent of the Atitlan Grebe's diet consists of small fish and aquatic invertebrates found in Lake Atitlan's shallow waters.

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7. 01

   Lake Atitlan's endemic grebe species declined from approximately 200 individuals in 1960 to fewer than 50 by the year 2000.

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