Tachybaptus novaehollandiae
Silhouette: Tisha Mukherjee · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
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 →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Hattah-Kulkyne National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Royal National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Litchfield National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Flinders Ranges National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 6 | Blue Mountains National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 7 | Booderee National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 8 | Flinders Chase | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 9 | Grampians National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 10 | Kakadu National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 11 | Springbrook National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 12 | Great Otway National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 13 | Maria Island National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 14 | Kosciuszko National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 15 | Wilsons Promontory National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 16 | Lamington National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 17 | Daintree National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Territory Wildlife Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Alice Springs Desert Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report an Australasian Grebe sighting in Great Otway National Park on a given day, based on 90 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 112th most-seen of the 175 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April and June–August
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report an Australasian Grebe in Great Otway National Park on a given day, against under 5% in May and September–March, the lowest months.
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.
12th of 17
Of the 17 parks where we can rate Australasian Grebe sightings, Great Otway National Park ranks 12th at under 5%. The best odds are in Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park (Australia, about 20%), Hattah-Kulkyne National Park (Australia, about 10%) and Royal National Park (Australia, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Australasian Grebe is recorded against all the birds logged in Great Otway National Park (90 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
