R.M., Mitchell Park.

Our Australasian, or little grebe, is indeed found beyond Australia, so “Australasian” is quite accurate, if slightly clumsy. The bird is actually rare in New Zealand, but is also found in New Caledonia, the Solomon Islands, Timor, New Guinea and the New Hebrides. It was once considered to be a form of the Old World little grebe, but now regarded as a species in its own right, being different in a few minor respects.

New Zealand has another small grebe called the New Zealand dabchick: it is slightly larger and darker, without the Australasian grebe’s rufous neck stripe and yellow face spot in spring and summer.