New Zealand Dabchick
Encyclopedia
The New Zealand Grebe, New Zealand Dabchick, or Weweia, Poliocephalus rufopectus, is a member of the grebe
family endemic
to New Zealand
. This species was formerly present in the lowland lakes of South Island
, but underwent a rapid decline there (for unknown reasons) in the 19th century- the last certain breeding record for this species on South Island was in 1941
. On North Island
it is found on the West coast on coastal lakes from North Cape to Pukekohe and from Southern Taranaki to Paraparaumu, on lakes and dams of the central plateau, Gisborne, Hawkes bay and the Wairarapa. Their diet consists mostly aquatic insects and their larvae, as well as small mollusks such as freshwater snails. Bigger prey such as fish and freshwater crayfish are sometimes taken.
Grebe
A grebe is a member of the Podicipediformes order, a widely distributed order of freshwater diving birds, some of which visit the sea when migrating and in winter...
family endemic
Endemic (ecology)
Endemism is the ecological state of being unique to a defined geographic location, such as an island, nation or other defined zone, or habitat type; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsewhere. For example, all species of lemur are endemic to the...
to New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. This species was formerly present in the lowland lakes of South Island
South Island
The South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean...
, but underwent a rapid decline there (for unknown reasons) in the 19th century- the last certain breeding record for this species on South Island was in 1941
. On North Island
North Island
The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island...
it is found on the West coast on coastal lakes from North Cape to Pukekohe and from Southern Taranaki to Paraparaumu, on lakes and dams of the central plateau, Gisborne, Hawkes bay and the Wairarapa. Their diet consists mostly aquatic insects and their larvae, as well as small mollusks such as freshwater snails. Bigger prey such as fish and freshwater crayfish are sometimes taken.