Tachybaptus ruficollis
Silhouette: Tisha Mukherjee · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
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 →
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dresden Zoo | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 2 | Zoo Pilsen | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 3 | Tama Zoological Park | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 4 | Inokashira Park Zoo | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 5 | L'Oceanogràfic | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 6 | Alpenzoo Innsbruck | 🇦🇹 Austria | |
| 7 | Lake Biwa Museum | 🇯🇵 Japan |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Little Grebe sighting in Serengeti National Park on a given day, based on 113 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 257th most-seen of the 469 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.
March–April and December
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Little Grebe in Serengeti National Park on a given day, against under 5% in January–February and May–November, the lowest months. Those are among Serengeti National Park's wettest months, with about 110 mm of rain a month against 5 mm in July.
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.
51st of 74
Of the 74 parks where we can rate Little Grebe sightings, Serengeti National Park ranks 51st at under 5%. The best odds are in Arusha National Park (Tanzania, about 60%), Doñana National Park (Spain, about 60%) and Keoladeo National Park (India, about 60%). All parks ranked.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Little Grebe is recorded against all the birds logged in Serengeti National Park (113 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.
