From Opus

Tachybaptus novaehollandiae

Photo by Tom Tarrant

Photo by TCollins
Bird in winter plumage

[edit] Identification

Breeding - upperparts are dark slaty-brown to black with chestnut patch from behind auriculars down side of neck, yellow eye, and highly visible yellow subloral stribe from eye to just below the bill.

Non-breeding - throat, upper breast, and sides of neck grey-white, rest of body slightly duller than breeding plumage, bill pale, and sub-loral stripe much less obvious. This plumage is similar to but browner than the winter plumage of Hoary-headed Grebe.

[edit] Distribution

Australia, New Zealand, New Guinea, much of Indonesia, and some pacific islands.

[edit] Taxonomy

Seven subspecies are recognized^[2]:

• T n novaehollandiae
• T n leucosternos
• T n rennellianus
• T n javanicus
• T n timorensis
• T n fumosus
• T n incola

[edit] Habitat

Fresh water lakes, ponds, farm dams, and slowmoving rivers, all with plentyfull vegetation; in winter also on more open waters.

[edit] Behaviour

The diet includes small fish and water insects.

It builds a nest which is a floating mound of vegetation, normally anchored to a submerged branch or reed. Pale blue eggs are laid and are incubated and cared for by both parents. The chicks can swim from birth. There can be three successive broods in a season.

[edit] References

1. Pizzey, G. & Knight, F. 1997. Birds of Australia (Collins Field Guide). HarperCollins Publishers, London. ISBN 0-00-220132-1
2. Clements, James F. 2007. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to October 2007. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. ISBN 9780801445019

[edit] External Links