Stats

Lifespan: 15-20 yrs
Size: Medium
Diet: Carnivore
Activity: Diurnal
Social: Pair
Biome: Tropical rainforest
Range: Central and South America
Movement: Walking
Breeding: Egg-laying
Defense: Warning Colors
Status: Uncommon

About

The Sunbittern is a striking wading bird of tropical Central and South American forests, and the sole member of its family Eurypygidae. When threatened or during courtship displays, it fans its wings wide to reveal dramatic eyespot patterns in orange, black, and white — a sudden flash designed to startle predators.

Life cycle

1.
egg
A clutch of eggs is incubated in the nest, kept warm by a brooding parent until the chicks pip free.
2.
hatchling
A naked or downy hatchling is fed in the nest by its parents.
3.
juvenile
A feathered juvenile fledges from the nest and learns to fly and forage.
4.
adult
Fully grown with adult plumage.

Learn more

Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Eurypygiformes
Family: Eurypygidae
Genus: Eurypyga
Species: Eurypyga helias