Australasian grebe

The Australasian grebe is a small waterbird common on fresh water lakes and rivers in greater Australia, New Zealand and on nearby Pacific islands. At 25–27 cm (9.8–10.6 in) in length, it is one of the smallest members of the grebe family, along with the least grebe and little grebe.

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Distribution

Region

Australasia

Typical Environment

Widespread across Australia, Tasmania, and New Zealand, and present on nearby Pacific islands and parts of New Guinea. Prefers small, calm freshwater bodies such as ponds, farm dams, lagoons, and slow-flowing rivers with abundant fringing vegetation. Will use urban wetlands and ornamental lakes, and occasionally sheltered brackish lagoons. Avoids fast-flowing rivers and open coastal waters. Often disperses locally in response to rainfall and changing water levels.

Altitude Range

Sea level to 1500 m

Climate Zone

Temperate

Characteristics

Size25–27 cm

Wing Span40–45 cm

Male Weight0.22 kg

Female Weight0.2 kg

Life Expectancy6 years

Ease of Keeping

Beginner friendly: 1/5

Useful to know

A tiny, adept diver, the Australasian grebe often sinks quietly rather than taking flight when alarmed. During breeding it sports a rich chestnut neck and a small yellow facial spot, and parents frequently carry downy chicks on their backs. Nests are floating platforms anchored to waterside vegetation. It readily colonizes farm dams, urban ponds, and small lakes.

Gallery

Behaviour

Temperament

secretive and wary

Flight Pattern

short rapid wingbeats; rarely flies, prefers diving

Social Behavior

Usually found singly or in pairs, forming small loose groups on productive waters. Builds a floating nest of aquatic vegetation anchored to reeds or other plants; typically monogamous within a season. Adults frequently carry young on their backs and are strongly territorial during breeding.

Migratory Pattern

Resident

Song Description

Calls are high-pitched trills and sharp whistled notes, often given in series from cover or open water. Breeding birds produce repeated, insect-like trills and chatter that carry across small lakes.

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Identification

Comb Type

Plumage Description

Feather Color

Leg Color

Earlobe Color

Eye Color

Feeding Habits

Diet

Preferred Environment

Requires Supplement

Population

Conservation Status

Species Status

Wild Population

Total Known Population

Australasian shoveler

The Australasian shoveler is a species of dabbling duck in the genus Spatula. It ranges from 46 to 53 cm. It lives in heavily vegetated swamps. In Australia it is protected under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974. They occur in southwestern and southeastern Australia, Tasmania, and New Zealand. The male has a blue-grey head with a vertical white crescent in front of the eyes.

Australasian swamphen

The Australasian swamphen, commonly known as the pūkeko in New Zealand, is a striking and socially complex bird found in Oceania, including eastern Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand and Australia. A member of the rail family, it is part of the diverse order Gruiformes, which includes species with similar characteristics such as cranes and other rail species. Within the Australasian swamphen species, five recognised subspecies exist, with P. p. melanotus being the most common and widely distributed in New Zealand. They display phenotypic characteristics typical of rails: relatively short wings and strong, elongated bills, adapted to its semi-aquatic lifestyle in wetlands.

Australian boobook

The Australian boobook, is a species of owl native to mainland Australia, southern New Guinea, the island of Timor, and the Sunda Islands. Described by John Latham in 1801, it was generally considered to be the same species as the morepork of New Zealand until 1999. Its name is derived from its two-tone boo-book call. Eight subspecies of the Australian boobook are recognized, with three further subspecies being reclassified as separate species in 2019 due to their distinctive calls and genetics.

Australian brushturkey

The Australian brushturkey, Australian brush-turkey, or gweela, also commonly called the bush turkey or scrub turkey, is a large mound-building bird of the family Megapodiidae. It is found in eastern Australia, ranging from Far North Queensland to the south coast of New South Wales, and has also been introduced to Kangaroo Island in South Australia. It is the largest living member of the Megapodiidae and one of three species native to Australia.

Australian bustard

The Australian bustard is a large ground-dwelling bird that is common in grassland, woodland and open agricultural country across northern Australia and southern New Guinea. It stands at about one metre high, and its wingspan is around twice that length. The species is nomadic, flying to areas when food becomes plentiful, and capable of travelling long distances. They were once widespread and common to the open plains of Australia, but became rare in regions that have been used for farming. The bustard is omnivorous, mostly consuming the fruit or seed of plants, but also eating invertebrates such as crickets, grasshoppers, smaller mammals, birds and reptiles.