Fun Australasian Grebe Facts For Kids
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Did you fall in love with the story of the ugly (but totally cute) duckling? If yes, this small waterbird will surely pique your mind.
They come from the order of grebes, Podicipediformes. Like similar species such as the hoary-headed grebe and the little grebe, these birds are good swimmers and can perform deep underwater dives.
When identifying the duck-like appearance of the Australasian Grebe (Tachybaptus novaehollandiae), you will notice that this bird has the unique ability to show off a distinctive glossy breeding and non-breeding plumage.
In the breeding season, these birds are glossy-black with a patch of bare skin at the base of their beak that turns pale yellow, and the non-breeding plumage shows dark undertones in feathers accompanied by a white shade on the patch of bare skin.
As the name suggests, the Australian Grebe is found in the freshwater ponds and small waterways of Australia, the Pacific region, and New Zealand.
The Australasian Grebe diet mainly consists of marine animals like small fish and water insects. During the breeding season, they lay pale blue eggs in a nest built on a floating mound. These parents are capable of raising around three broods every breeding season but do so only after the previous young batch moves away.
Keep yourself entertained and educated with more facts about the Sanderling and Brant.
Australasian Grebe Interesting Facts
What type of animal is an Australasian Grebe?
The Australasian Grebe is a type of waterbird found in Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific region.
What class of animal does an Australasian Grebe belong to?
This gray-brown Australian inhabitant belongs to the class Aves, under the family Podicipedidae.
How many Australasian Grebes are there in the world?
There is no definite count, but the Australian Grebe population has shown an increasing trend in Australia and New Zealand in recent years.
Where does an Australasian Grebe live?
The Australasian Grebe or Little Grebe is spotted all over Australia and in some parts of the Pacific region and New Zealand.
What is an Australasian Grebe's habitat?
The ideal Australasian Grebe habitat involves terrestrial freshwater. This small waterbird can be seen hidden among the vegetation in freshwater ponds and lakes, slow-moving rivers, farm dams, and small waterways.
Who do Australasian Grebes live with?
The Australasian Grebe lives among similar species but seldom in groups with large birds. During the breeding season, the female and male live together until the eggs hatch. The Australasian Grebe male leaves the brood first, followed by the female.
How long does an Australasian Grebe live?
The Australasian Grebe has a lifespan ranging between 11-12 years.
How do they reproduce?
The male and female breeding season is observed from January to April in the northern areas and from September to January in the southern parts. These Australian bird parents can raise around three to four broods in one breeding season, but only after the previous young ones leave.
The Australasian Grebe female lays four to seven pale-blue eggs that turn dark brown over the incubation period of 21 days.
These birds choose nesting sites among the floating mound of vegetation which is held up by plants or branches submerged around any freshwater bodies. Both parents take care of the eggs until the striped, downy chicks are born.
These young hatchlings are dark gray, brown and start swimming instantly after birth. These birds are known to pluck their feathers and feed them to the young ones to prevent injury from swallowed fish bones.
For a while past the fledgling stage, the chicks remain with the parents before the male and female show a behavior change.
The male leaves first, and the female may leave 10 weeks later. If not, the chicks are driven away from the parents' brood.
What is their conservation status?
The Australasian Grebe (Tachybaptus novaehollandiae) does not have major threat issues and has been given the status of Least Concern.
Australasian Grebe Fun Facts
What do Australasian Grebes look like?
The Australasian Little Grebe is a small waterbird with a duck-like body shape that looks rounded because they ruffle their feather often. The male is larger and also has a longer bill than the female.
These birds of Australia have yellow eyes, a black white-tipped bill, dark gray, green lobed toes, and a short whitetail.
These birds develop two striking phases of feathers called the non-breeding and breeding plumage. The breeding plumage is quite vibrant with a dark gray-brown, a glossy head, and a deep chestnut-shade stripe that runs from the back of its eye to the base of its neck.
A pale yellow patch at the base of its bill becomes more noticeable as well. The non-breeding plumage of these birds shares similar characteristics with the hoary-headed grebe.
The feathers are usually dull without the popping chestnut stripe, and the patch at the base of the bill is plain white.
The feathers around the neck and underneath are a faded gray-white shade. After birth, the striped, downy chicks of these birds are a dark brown-gray, with a chestnut spot on their crowns and white stripes from the back, neck, and head.
How cute are they?
The Australasian Crested Grebes always puff up their feathers and stubby neck, giving them a pillowy appearance. They are great swimmers and make quick deep underwater dives that make them look playful and adventurous. Hence, it is safe to say that they are up there on the cuteness scale.
How do they communicate?
These Australian birds are highly communicative during the breeding season. They make loud noises that sound like chattering metal, and the pitch increases in the presence of a threat.
How big is an Australasian Grebe?
The Australasian Grebe is 10 times smaller than the Andean Condor and about three times bigger than the Lesser Goldfinch. Comparatively, these birds are around the same size as an American Golden Plover.
How fast can an Australasian Grebe fly?
These birds are not avid flyers. They try not to leave home when there is enough food, and if required, they prefer flying during the night to keep away from predators.
How much does an Australasian Grebe weigh?
The Australasian Grebe weighs around 6-8.4 oz (170-240 g) which is around four times less than that of an Australasian Crested Grebe.
What are the male and female names of the species?
The Australasian Grebe (Tachybaptus novaehollandiae) do not have different names for their males and females. However, they are known by various names such as White-bellied Diver, Australasian Little Grebe, Black-Throated Dabchick or Diver, and Red-Necked Grebe.
What would you call a baby Australasian Grebe?
The young ones of the Australasian Grebe are called chicks.
What do they eat?
These birds eat marine animals such as water insects, crustaceans, pond snails, and small fish, but they love crayfish. They capture food with their bill in deep underwater dives and bring it to the surface to eat.
Are they rare?
This yellow-eyed grebe species is fairly common in the lakes of Australia and parts of the Pacific region. The bird has also been introduced artificially in New Zealand, and its population there is on the rise.
Would they make a good pet?
This is a wild bird that lives close to freshwater bodies. Keeping grebes as pets would be highly complicated.
Did you know...
The Australasian Grebe can dive up to 10 ft (3 m) deep.
These birds were artificially introduced into the New Zealand ecosystem.
These glossy-black birds pluck their feathers and feed them to the hatchlings to prevent injury from fish bones.
Grebes can stay underwater for three minutes or more!
What is the difference between a Grebe and a Duck?
The primary differentiating factor between grebes and ducks is that they belong to two different orders. The former belong to Podicipediformes and the latter to the order Anseriformes.
Even though both of these are birds living in and around water, ducks have webbed feet while grebes have lobed toes with their legs placed more towards the back of the body. Lastly, it is quite easy to differentiate the male and female plumage of ducks, whereas this is not the case with grebes.
What does Grebe mean?
Although there is no recorded reason why the bird is named grebe, the word was derived from the french version 'grèbe,' which means diving bird.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other birds from our Common Murre facts and Green Heron facts pages.
You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable Australasian grebe coloring pages.
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Bachelor of Arts and Law specializing in Political Science and Intellectual Property Rights
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With a wealth of international experience spanning Europe, Africa, North America, and the Middle East, Anusuya brings a unique perspective to her work as a Content Assistant and Content Updating Coordinator. She holds a law degree from India and has practiced law in India and Kuwait. Anusuya is a fan of rap music and enjoys a good cup of coffee in her free time. Currently, she is working on her novel, "Mr. Ivory Merchant".
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