The Little Grebe is found in temperate and tropical areas of the Old World from Europe to New Guinea and southern Africa.

It is fairly tolerant of a wide variety of water habitats and is found on smaller and shallower bodies of water than other grebes. It makes shallow dives of about 1 metre in search of its food which consists of insects, larvae, small shellfish and fish. It is found less often at the coast than other grebes and , at the coast, it normally seeks out sheltered estuaries