Sunbitterns grow to be about 43 to about 48-cm tall, they weigh up to 9 pounds. They have a long bill that is pointed, long neck, and a long tail. The body has a black head with two white stripes that run below the eyes. The neck is brown and so is the chest but on both of them they have black stripes. When the wings are spread apart there are chestnut and yellow dots on the surface. The sunbittern do not tend to be shy.

 

When a nest is made inside a tree they lay grey eggs. They are not in danger of becoming extinct The sunbittern lives by water like a stream or a river. They sometimes live in tropical place with some open place. They need water to live. They need to live in moist areas because their bodies can’t do well in dry areas. They live all over the globe but mostly in Brazil. They are dieing out but are not endangered. They are dieing because of habitat loss. Sunbitterns have a great role in the aquatic system. The people who are building houses for vacations are killing the animals. It is the humans that are killing the animals.

 

The sunbitterns feed on insect but have no predators. The bird eats only insects by using its neck to whip and eat it. They will compete with other animals that eat bugs. No animal preys on the Bittern's. If there is another bird that kills it for the food than it is a predator. It can fly away from an attack that would happen on the ground. When they spread out their wings there are spots of color that looks like eyes making the bird look like a big animal. What stood out was when I was looking at the picture was that the wings had yellow and brown dots that could scare an animal away. I also learned about that they are not social birds and are very hard to spot.

 

By: John-Mark R

Published: 02/2007

 

Photo Credit: Sunbittern, Eurypyga helias, captive bird. Location: Jacksonville Zoo, Jacksonville, Florida, United States Photograph taken by Patrick Coin 12/2005