Wildlifeof Costa Rica
Sunbittern
Other Birds
Photo: (c) er-birds, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY
Eurypyga helias
Basic stats
Diet
Insects, crabs, spiders, shrimps, earthworms, fish, tadpoles, frogs, eels and lizards
Habitat
Humid Neotropical forest with an open understory, near rivers, streams, ponds or lagoons
Range
Guatemala to Brazil; the subspecies major occurs from southern Guatemala through Central America to western Ecuador
Clutch size
2 eggs
Size
Not recorded in the sources opened
Weight
About 210g (AVONET, Tobias et al. 2022)
The sunbittern is the only member of its family. Its plumage is subdued, a fine pattern of black, grey and brown, but the wings hold a surprise: spread fully, the flight feathers show bright red, yellow and black eyespots. The bill is long and pointed and black above, and the hind toe is short. The Central American subspecies is greyer above than the South American one, with legs and bill sometimes redder (Wikipedia, general species account).
It is a cryptic bird that shows its wings to startle predators and in courtship and threat displays. It feeds on a wide variety of small animals along the water's edge. Sunbitterns begin nesting in the early wet season, preceded by flight displays 10–15m up in the canopy; they build open nests in trees and lay two blotched eggs, and the precocial chicks stay in the nest for several weeks (Wikipedia, general species account).
On this guide it is a target species of Tortuguero, Braulio Carrillo and Cano Negro.
Quick answers
- What does the Sunbittern eat?
- Insects, crabs, spiders, shrimps, earthworms, fish, tadpoles, frogs, eels and lizards
- What habitat does the Sunbittern live in?
- Humid Neotropical forest with an open understory, near rivers, streams, ponds or lagoons
- Where is the Sunbittern found?
- Guatemala to Brazil; the subspecies major occurs from southern Guatemala through Central America to western Ecuador
- How many eggs does the Sunbittern lay?
- 2 eggs
- How big is the Sunbittern?
- Not recorded in the sources opened
- How much does the Sunbittern weigh?
- About 210g (AVONET, Tobias et al. 2022)