LEAST OR ST. DOMINGO GREBE
5. Colymbus dominions brachypterus. 10 inches.
This is much smaller than any others of our grebes; in breeding plumage it most nearly resembles the following species, but the bill is black and sharply pointed. It has a black patch on the throat, and the crown and back of the head are glossy blue black; in winter, the throat and sides of the head are white.
Nest.—Not different from those of the other grebes. Only comparatively few of them breed in the U. S. but they are common in Mexico and Central America. Their eggs, when first laid, are a pale, chalky, greenish white, but they soon become discolored and stained so that they are a deep brownish, more so than any of the others; from 3 to 6 eggs is a full complement (1.40 × .95).
Range.—Found in the United States, only in the Lower Rio Grande Valley in Southern Texas, and southwards to northern South America.
