The endemic New Zealand dabchick (Poliocephalus rufopectus), also known by its Māori name weweia, almost never steps on to dry land. It is a distant cousin of the little grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis) – the name dabchick is often used for the little grebe in Europe, Africa, and parts of Asia. Once common across the South Island, they mysteriously vanished from there as a breeding species around 1940. Today, the total population hovers around 1,900 to 2,000 individuals, mostly surviving on North Island lakes and farm ponds.
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