Sunbittern

The Sunbittern is one of the Neotropics' most extraordinary birds, unique enough taxonomically to occupy its own family (Eurypygidae) most closely related to the Kagu of New Caledonia. At rest, it appears as a slim, cryptically patterned brown-gray-and-black bird with a long neck, long bright orange-red legs, and a slender bill, blending remarkably well with dappled streamside light and shadow. When alarmed or displaying, it spreads its broad wings and tail to reveal a dazzling pattern of chestnut, black, and white eye-like spots (ocelli) and a golden band, an unforgettable sight that gives the bird its name.

Key field marks

• Slim body, long neck, long orange-red legs, slender pointed bill.
• Finely vermiculated gray-brown-and-black plumage at rest, providing camouflage.
• Spectacular chestnut, black, and white "sunburst" wing pattern revealed only when wings are spread.

Similar species

No other Neotropical bird shows this combination of cryptic resting plumage and the dramatic wing-spread display; its unique shape and streamside habits make confusion unlikely once the wing pattern is seen.

Sunbitterns inhabit the shaded margins of forested streams, rivers, and swampy forest edges, from lowlands up to foothill elevations (roughly 1,000-1,500 m in places). The species ranges from Guatemala through Central America and across much of the Amazon basin to Bolivia and Brazil. It is a non-migratory resident, typically encountered singly or in pairs walking slowly along stream banks.

Voice

A thin, high-pitched whistled call, and occasionally a more mournful, drawn-out note; generally a quiet bird.

Feeding

Sunbitterns walk slowly and deliberately along stream edges and shallow water, stalking and stabbing at fish, aquatic insects, crustaceans, and amphibians with quick jabs of the bill.

Nesting and breeding

Pairs build a bulky nest of mud, leaves, and plant material in a low tree or on a stream-side ledge. Both parents share incubation and, notably, both may perform the striking wing-spread display toward intruders or predators near the nest, as well as during courtship.