Australasian Grebe

Australasian Grebe

Tachybaptus novaehollandiae

Silhouette: Tisha Mukherjee · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at Brisbane

In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%

3,789 Verified sightings at Brisbane
1,430 In all 17 parks From 2019 to 2026
June Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Australasian Grebe

The Australasian grebe (Tachybaptus novaehollandiae) 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.

Tachybaptus novaehollandiae, (Stephens, 1826) Tachybaptus novaehollandiae javanicus, (Mayr, 1943), Java Tachybaptus novaehollandiae fumosus, (Mayr, 1943), Talaud & Sangihe Islands Tachybaptus novaehollandiae incola, (Mayr, 1943), northern New Guinea

Tachybaptus novaehollandiae novaehollandiae, (Stephens, 1826), southern New Guinea, Australia, Tasmania & New Zealand Tachybaptus novaehollandiae leucosternos, (Mayr, 1931), Vanuatu & New Caledonia Tachybaptus novaehollandiae rennellianus, (Mayr, 1943), Rennell Island (Solomon Islands)

Both sexes are dark brown above with a glossy-black head and neck and a striking chestnut facial stripe, extending from behind the eye to the base of the neck. The eye is yellow, with a prominent pale yellow face spot below.

Both sexes are generally... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Song0:11

Australia · 2022

© Marc Anderson · XC1001940 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Begging call0:28

Australia · 2022

© nick talbot · XC706134 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Call0:53

Australia · 2017

© Greg McLachlan · XC381466 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~20%
2 Hattah-Kulkyne National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~10%
3 Royal National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~10%
4 Litchfield National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~10%
5 Flinders Ranges National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~10%
6 Blue Mountains National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~10%
7 Booderee National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~10%
8 Flinders Chase 🇦🇺 Australia
~10%
9 Grampians National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~10%
10 Kakadu National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~10%
11 Springbrook National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
12 Great Otway National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
13 Maria Island National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
14 Kosciuszko National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
15 Wilsons Promontory National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
16 Lamington National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
17 Daintree National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Perth 🇦🇺 Australia
~50%
2 Melbourne 🇦🇺 Australia
~30%
3 Brisbane 🇦🇺 Australia
~20%
4 Sydney 🇦🇺 Australia
~20%
5 Auckland 🇳🇿 New Zealand
<5%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Territory Wildlife Park 🇦🇺 Australia In captivity
2 Alice Springs Desert Park 🇦🇺 Australia In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing an Australasian Grebe in Brisbane?

Possible

About 20% of wildlife watchers report an Australasian Grebe sighting in Brisbane on a given day, based on 3,789 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 43rd most-seen of the 237 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see an Australasian Grebe in Brisbane?

June

In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report an Australasian Grebe in Brisbane on a given day, against about 10% in December to February, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see an Australasian Grebe?

Between 2 and 5 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Australasian Grebe sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Brisbane the best place to see an Australasian Grebe?

3rd of 5

Of the 5 cities where we can rate Australasian Grebe sightings, Brisbane ranks 3rd at about 20%. The best odds are in Perth (Australia, about 50%) and Melbourne (Australia, about 30%).

Where does the Australasian Grebe sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Australasian Grebe is recorded against all the birds logged in Brisbane (3,789 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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