Editing Grebe (section)

===Parasitology===
[[File:Theromyzon (YPM IZ 058099) 002.jpeg|thumb|The leech genus ''[[Theromyzon]]'' is an external parasite that has been found in the nasal cavities of grebes.]]

249 species of [[parasitic worm]]s have been known to parasitize the intestinal region of grebes. The [[Amabiliidae|amabiliid]]s are a family of [[Cyclophyllidea|cyclophyllid]] [[Cestoda|cestodes]] that are almost all grebe specialists. The life cycle of these tapeworms begins when eggs are passed through the feces, where they are picked by intermediate hosts, which include [[Corixidae|corixid]] [[Hemiptera|bug]]s and the nymphs of [[Odonata]]. These aquatic insects are eventually be consumed by grebes, where the lifecycle begins again. Another grebe specialist family of internal parasites are the [[Dioecocestidae]]. Other families such as [[Echinostomatidae]] and [[Hymenolepididae]] also contain several cestode species that are grebe specialists.<ref name="Storer2000">{{Cite journal |last1=Storer |first1=R. W. |year=2000 |title=The metazoan parasite fauna of grebes (Aves: Podicepediformes) and its relationship to the birds' biology. |journal=Miscellaneous Publications-Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan. |volume =  |issue = 188 |pages = 1–99}}</ref>

The prominent external parasites of grebes are the [[lice]] of the clade [[Ischnocera]]. One genus of these lice, ''[[Aquanirmus]],'' is the only one that is a grebe specialist. Another major group of parasites are the two [[mite]]s of the families [[Rhinonyssidae]] and [[Ereynetidae]]; these infect the nasal passages of grebes. The rhinonyssids move slowly in the mucous membranes, drinking blood, while the ereynetids live on the surface. Various lineages of feather mites of the clade [[Analgoidea]] have evolved to occupy different sections of the feather. ''[[Theromyzon]]'' ("duck leeches") tend to feed in the nasal cavities of waterbirds in general, including grebes.<ref name="Storer2000"/>