Little Grebe

Little Grebe

Tachybaptus ruficollis

Silhouette: Tisha Mukherjee · PhyloPic

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

In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%

63 Verified sightings at Izmir
16,657 In all 74 parks From 2019 to 2026
February Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Little Grebe

The little grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis), also known as the dabchick, is a member of the grebe family of water birds. The genus name is from Ancient Greek takhus "fast" and bapto "to sink under". The specific ruficollis is from Latin rufus "red" and Modern Latin -collis, "-necked", itself derived from Latin collum "neck".

At 23 to 29 centimetres (9 to 11+1⁄2 inches) in length it is the smallest European, Asian, and African member of its family. It is commonly found in open bodies of water across most of its range. The little grebe was formally described in a sales catalogue by the German naturalist Peter Simon Pallas in 1764 under the binomial name Colymbus ruficollis. The type locality is the Netherlands. The specific epithet is Modern Latin meaning "red-necked", from Latin rufus meaning "red", "ruddy" or "rufous" and Modern Latin -collis meaning "-necked". The little grebe is now one of five species placed in the genus Tachybaptus that was introduced in 1789 by German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin.

Ten subspecies are currently accepted, four widespread, and six with restricted ranges; they are separated principally by size, eye colour, which varies... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Song0:23

China · 2025

© Bo Shunqi 薄顺奇 · XC1101785 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Alarm call0:57

Italy · 2023

© Francesco Barberini · XC809344 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Nocturnal flight call0:11

Netherlands · 2022

© Joost van Bruggen · XC760397 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Arusha National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~60%
2 Doñana National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~60%
3 Keoladeo National Park 🇮🇳 India
~60%
4 West Coast National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~40%
5 Etosha National Park 🇳🇦 Namibia
~40%
6 Pilanesberg National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~40%
7 Hortobágy National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
~30%
8 Snowdonia National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~30%
9 Garden Route National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~30%
10 Bale Mountains National Park 🇪🇹 Ethiopia
~30%
11 Lake Nakuru National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~30%
12 iSimangaliso Wetland Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~30%
13 Ranthambore National Park 🇮🇳 India
~30%
14 Golden Gate Highlands National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~30%
15 Wilpattu National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
~30%
16 Hwange National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
~20%
17 Ngorongoro Conservation Area 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~20%
18 De Hoop Nature Reserve 🇿🇦 South Africa
~20%
19 Kiskunság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
~20%
20 Kanha National Park 🇮🇳 India
~20%
21 Mercantour National Park 🇫🇷 France
~20%
22 Camargue 🇫🇷 France
~20%
23 Fertő-Hanság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
~20%
24 Bandipur National Park 🇮🇳 India
~20%
25 Yala National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
~20%
26 Lake Mburo National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~20%
27 Monfragüe National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~10%
28 Sierra Nevada National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~10%
29 Addo Elephant National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
30 Bandhavgarh National Park 🇮🇳 India
~10%
31 Cairngorms National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~10%
32 Wadden Sea National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
~10%
33 uMkhuze Game Reserve 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
34 Bavarian Forest National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
~10%
35 Akagera National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
~10%
36 Mudumalai National Park 🇮🇳 India
~10%
37 Nairobi National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~10%
38 Aberdare National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~10%
39 Minneriya National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
~10%
40 Biebrza National Park 🇵🇱 Poland
~10%
41 Nagarhole National Park 🇮🇳 India
~10%
42 Amboseli National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~10%
43 Moremi Game Reserve 🇧🇼 Botswana
~10%
44 Sierra de Guadarrama National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~10%
45 Udawalawe National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
~10%
46 Satpura National Park 🇮🇳 India
~10%
47 Kaziranga National Park 🇮🇳 India
~10%
48 Tarangire National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~10%
49 Picos de Europa National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
<5%
50 Table Mountain National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
51 Serengeti National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
52 Nikko National Park 🇯🇵 Japan
<5%
53 Tangkoko Nature Reserve 🇮🇩 Indonesia
<5%
54 Gir National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
55 Triglav National Park 🇸🇮 Slovenia
<5%
56 Tsavo East National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
57 Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary 🇲🇾 Malaysia
<5%
58 Queen Elizabeth National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
59 Kruger National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
60 Ruaha National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
61 Plitvice Lakes National Park 🇭🇷 Croatia
<5%
62 Chobe National Park 🇧🇼 Botswana
<5%
63 Kaeng Krachan National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
<5%
64 Masai Mara National Reserve 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
65 Chitwan National Park 🇳🇵 Nepal
<5%
66 Mantadia National Park 🇲🇬 Madagascar
<5%
67 Periyar National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
68 Tsavo West National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
69 Aigüestortes National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
<5%
70 Pyrénées National Park 🇫🇷 France
<5%
71 Białowieża National Park 🇵🇱 Poland
<5%
72 Cat Tien National Park 🇻🇳 Vietnam
<5%
73 Bwindi Impenetrable National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
74 Doi Inthanon National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Guiyang 🇨🇳 China
~70%
2 Hangzhou 🇨🇳 China
~70%
3 Ningbo 🇨🇳 China
~70%
4 Suzhou 🇨🇳 China
~60%
5 Shijiazhuang 🇨🇳 China
~60%
6 Nanchang 🇨🇳 China
~60%
7 Shanghai 🇨🇳 China
~60%
8 Beijing 🇨🇳 China
~60%
9 Jodhpur 🇮🇳 India
~50%
10 Zhengzhou 🇨🇳 China
~50%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Dresden Zoo 🇩🇪 Germany In captivity
2 Zoo Pilsen 🇨🇿 Czechia In captivity
3 Tama Zoological Park 🇯🇵 Japan In captivity
4 Inokashira Park Zoo 🇯🇵 Japan In captivity
5 L'Oceanogràfic 🇪🇸 Spain In captivity
6 Alpenzoo Innsbruck 🇦🇹 Austria In captivity
7 Lake Biwa Museum 🇯🇵 Japan In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Little Grebe in Izmir?

Possible

About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Little Grebe sighting in Izmir on a given day, based on 63 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 39th most-seen of the 113 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Little Grebe in Izmir?

February

In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Little Grebe in Izmir on a given day, against about 10% in April to October, the lowest months. That is one of Izmir's wettest months, with about 100 mm of rain against almost none in July.

What time of day is best to see a Little Grebe?

Between 10 am and 1 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Little Grebe sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Izmir the best place to see a Little Grebe?

66th of 196

Of the 196 cities where we can rate Little Grebe sightings, Izmir ranks 66th at about 20%. The best odds are in Guiyang (China, about 70%), Hangzhou (China, about 70%) and Ningbo (China, about 70%).

Where does the Little Grebe sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Little Grebe is recorded against all the birds logged in Izmir (63 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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