New Zealand Dabchick

The New Zealand Dabchick is classified as Vulnerable (VU), considered to be facing a high risk of extinction in the wild.

also examined whether New Zealand dabchicks became habituated to boat passes. We found that a single boat pass caused a significant short-term change in New Zealand dabchick behaviour compared with pre-boat pass patterns. This change in behaviour was more pronounced when the frequency of boat passes was higher, and may impose energetic constraints on New Zealand dabchicks. Differences between behaviour before and after the boat pass were no longer evident 15 minutes after the boat pass. We found no significant effects of boat speed (5 ν. More

The New Zealand dabchick is a small grebe which, like all other grebes, is a highly specialized waterbird. It has mostly dark brown plumage with a line of distinctive fine, silvery feathers on its head. The breast and foreneck has a chestnut tinge ... More

The New Zealand dabchick is a small grebe which, like all other grebes, is a highly specialized waterbird. It has mostly dark brown plumage with a line of distinctive fine, silvery feathers on its head. The breast and foreneck has a chestnut tinge, and the underparts are dusky to silvery white. The eyes are pale yellow, and it has a black bill. Non-breeding adults are slightly paler, and males are larger than females and have a longer bill (2) (3) (4). More

New Zealand Dabchick or Weweia bird on water (Poliocephalus rufipectus, family: Podicipedidae), New Zealand (NZ), stock photo. More

Curious New Zealand dabchicks will often approach a quiet observer for closer inspection giving an alert photographer time for a few exposures. On this frosty morning I was in position in waist deep water over an hour before the first rays of sunlight lit up the background trees, ensuring the resident birds were not alarmed by a rushed approach in daylight. This small member of the grebe family is one of my favourite photographic subjects. More

The New Zealand dabchick is about 29 centimetres long and weighs 250 grams. Its head is streaked with fine silver feathers. If disturbed, dabchicks either skitter rapidly across the water, or sink, leaving just the head exposed. Dabchick man New Zealand dabchicks lack the flamboyant crests and neck ruffs of crested grebes – hence the Māori expression ‘he tangata weiweia’ (a dabchick man), meaning a person of lowly standing. More