Fluffy Australasian Grebe, not a duckling
Update on 19 April: The bird is actually an Australasian Grebe, not a duckling as I originally thought. Thanks to Pamela and Carol for helping to identify the bird (see comments on this post).
This tiny ball of fluff was zooming around an inlet of Manly Dam. I thought it was a Mallard duckling, because it seemed to spend most time close to an adult Mallard. Despite its size, the little thing was independent of spirit and a fast paddler.
Common name: Australasian Grebe
Scientific name: Tachybaptus novaehollandiae
Approximate length: 23-25 cm
Date spotted: 6 April 2020 (autumn)
Location: Manly Dam National Reserve, near Sydney: 33°46’34.8″S 151°14’49.6″E
This is the Mallard that the little one seemed to home in on:
Mallards are an introduced species in Australia. Their original home is the northern hemisphere, but they’re quite common in south eastern Australia now too.
Common name: Mallard
Scientific name: Anas Platyrhynchos
Approximate length: 50-70 cm
Date spotted: 6 April 2020 (autumn)
Location: Manly Dam National Reserve, near Sydney: 33°46’34.8″S 151°14’49.6″E
Posted on 2020/04/13, in Birds, Duck, Grebe and tagged Duck, Grebe, Mallard, waterbirds. Bookmark the permalink. 10 Comments.
Sydney Birder 
Hi Sarah – it doesn’t look like a mallard duckling to me. Facial pattern and bill are not right. If you search for mallard duckling photos – there are a lot of photos and jsut don’t look like yous to me. Could it be a hybrid of some kind? Mallards are known to easily hybridize.
Hallo Pamela, it could indeed be a hybrid, or something else entirely. It was kind of a lone ranger!
I was in the same spot again yesterday, and saw some Australian Wood Ducks. The little one was nowhere to be seen. It could have been a Wood Duck with a yen for wandering.
Maybe. Have you sent the photo to any local birding experts?
I haven’t. Good idea! I’ll try pinging Carol Probets on Twitter.
Hi Sarah, I replied on twitter as well – it’s an Australasian Grebe. Looks like it still has a remnant of juvenile plumage on its head though it’s probably adult size – even the adults are small and can be mistaken for ducklings. The fluffy bum, the longer neck and the shape of the bill are the main give-aways that it’s a grebe. If you watch it you’ll see that it dives regularly. It might have been associating with the ducks because that’s where the food was. Lovely photo!
I thought it looked like a grebe !
How lovely, thanks Carol! A new bird to add to my list. I’ll update the post title and add a note that it’s actually a grebe, so that I don’t mislead others.
I’m glad this mystery was solved. I sure thought it looked like a grebe when I saw your first post, But not being as familiar with Australian birds, I wasn’t sure either. But the bill and the puffy butt… Thanks for pursuing a definitive id.
Pingback: Battlestar Grebe | Sydney Birder