The bird my family calls “a diver”

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Lightuningbird
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The bird my family calls “a diver”

diver, the name given to a small sparrow sized bird. greyish brown in colour with a narrow, slightly pointed beak.

divers are the most well known unidentifiable bird that I know of. All my family has here’d of them, and I have seen them. Me, and the feast of my family hav never been able to identify this rather unusual bird. I have told many other people about dives, and no one has ever bean able to identify them.

The bird sits a little like a sparrow, with its tail pointing down. It will then dive into the water, swim to the other side of the waterway and pop up again. It doesn’t seem to dry it’s self, then it’ll fly back up into the nearest water plant. There very fast in doing so.

so far, I have been the only person to see a diver out of water. sitting upright, singing. It has a pretty call, sumwhat like a warbler, bat not the same. 

They live in small groups, about 5 birds. Each diving in and out. Iv never observed any nesting behaviour, but I’m assuming that they nest in the reads.

i have reassntly seen divers at the local creek, and I can go and studie their behaviour, and look fore nest.

(sorry of I put this under the rong forum section).

Lightuningbird
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Sorry, but I don’t have any photos of this bird, as it’s very fast, and mainly underwater. I’v only seen it twice.

Wimmera mally region, Vic.

Lightuningbird
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I can’t search it up... us diver is not its normal name. Given to the bird by my dad.

Wimmera mally region, Vic.

timmo
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This is quite an interesting puzzle.

I can think of birds that swoop around water a lot, like Fairy Martins and Welcome Swallows.

I can think of birds that duck, dive and swim, but they are mostly larger and sit on water like Grebes or Ducks.

I can't think of any perching birds that duck, dive and swim, but I'll definitely keep thinking.

Good one, Lightuning! 

Cheers
Tim
Brisbane

Lightuningbird
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The local creek seems like a good spot fore them. Plenty of water weeds to hide in. 

Left me quit confused as well. Carnt even classify it, the lowest classification I could get is bird, and that’s as far as I got. Sings like a warbler, sparrow like posture and a thornbill’s beak.

Wimmera mally region, Vic.

Lightuningbird
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Not the first unusuall bird, iv seen many over my life. From a massive (albatross sized) bird that are...well rather scary and small ones like the diver.

Wimmera mally region, Vic.

timmo
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I was looking this up on the way home, and the only family of song birds that swim underwater are the dippers, but they are not supposed to be found here in Australia. 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dipper

Cheers
Tim
Brisbane

Lightuningbird
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Anything to identify one mystery bird will do at this time.

Wimmera mally region, Vic.

Lightuningbird
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Showed the dipper to dad, the first person to see them. Dad said “there were to dark, and hang around still water. Not flowing water”. And what I saw was sitting upright, but I realy haven’t had a good look.

well, we got some were. Now lower in the classification.

Wimmera mally region, Vic.

Lightuningbird
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Apparently there related  to wrens? That would be why it has such a pretty call.

Wimmera mally region, Vic.

AJ Anderson
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Azure and Little Kingfishers are known to "swim" after prey...

Lightuningbird
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Hmm. The blue colour is the main difference, “divers” are diff entry gray or gray brown. 

Little odd, but a dipper is the closest bird so far.

Wimmera mally region, Vic.

AJ Anderson
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Australasian Grebe is also known as a "Diver". Most likely candidate given location and habitat described.

Without a photo, impossible to identify!

Lightuningbird
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To big. I sipped is still the closest.

Wimmera mally region, Vic.

Lightuningbird
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Over the holidays I’ll see if I can fined divers againe. If I finds them, I’ll take a photo.

Wimmera mally region, Vic.

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