Sungrebe
A species of Sungrebe Scientific name : Heliornis fulica Genus : Sungrebe
Sungrebe, A species of Sungrebe
Botanical name: Heliornis fulica
Genus: Sungrebe
Content
Description General Info
Description
The female is a small, slim bird, averaging about 30 cm (12 in) in length. Sungrebes have lobed toes, and the bare skin of their feet and legs are boldly banded in yellow and black. The body plumage is mostly varying shades of reddish brown, while the head and neck are strikingly patterned with a black crown and nape and white stripes along the sides of its neck, as well as a white throat and chin. The long tail (almost a third of the total length) extends well beyond the body in flight, and sits fanned out on or just below the surface of the water while the bird swims. Females have a rufous patch on the side of the face that brightens to a cinnamon-orange color during the breeding season. Also during the breeding season, her eye ring becomes brighter in color and her lower mandible goes from dark red to bright scarlet. Slightly shorter on average than the male, with a slightly shorter wingspan, 13.77 cm (5.42 in), but slightly more powerfully-built with a higher average mass, 130–140 g (4.6–4.9 oz). The male is similar to the female, but has slightly drabber plumage; in particular the male lacks the bright orange-rufous patch on the cheeks that the female displays, and while his lower mandible turns from pale beige to dark red during the breeding season, it does not get as bright as that of the female. On average he is slightly longer and with a wider wingspan 14.1 cm (5.6 in) than the female, but more lightly built with a lower average mass (110-140g). Juveniles have similar plumage to the male, but are slightly smaller, and with a grayer cast to the body feathers and more white on the cheeks and neck. 
Size
33 cm
Nest Placement
Floating
Feeding Habits
Sungrebe predominantly consumes snails, insects, spiders, small frogs, lizards, and crabs. This species forages by wading and skimming the water, capitalizing on its aquatic adaptations. Sungrebe is notable for its dietary flexibility and specialized hunting technique that relies on tactile and visual cues.
Habitat
Sungrebe typically inhabits freshwater bodies in tropical regions, such as slow-moving streams and creeks with overhanging vegetation. Their habitat also extends to mangrove swamps, ponds, lagoons, and occasionally man-made water bodies like irrigation canals or trenches in agricultural areas including coffee plantations. These birds prefer areas with a dense canopy or cover above the water, which provides protection and nesting opportunities.
Dite type
Omnivorous
General Info
Feeding Habits
Bird food type
Distribution Area
Sungrebes are found in heavily vegetated, mostly freshwater wetland environments, from northeast Mexico south along the Gulf and Caribbean coasts through Panama, where they live throughout the Canal Zone and Darien, and then along the Pacific coast from Panama through central Ecuador. They are also found throughout the Orinoco and Amazon Watershed, the Pantanal, and the Brazilian Atlantic Rainforests. Aside from Trinidad and Tobago, they are not found in most Caribbean nations, and seem to have difficulty dispersing over long distances of saltwater. Though occasionally recorded at higher elevations, the sungrebe is usually associated with lowlands from sea level to around 500 meters. They are residents throughout their range; they do not seem to migrate. Sungrebes seem to be expanding the northern limit of their range in northeastern Mexico. They were historically found no farther north than central Veracruz, but by the 1940s had established populations throughout Veracruz and into San Luis Potosí. They are now expanding their range further north in Tamaulipas, and an individual was sighted on 13 November 2008 on the Marsh Loop at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico, USA, the first historical record of Sungrebes in the United States.
Species Status
Given that their range is very large and that the species is not directly targeted for human use, BirdLife International (2009) the IUNC evaluates the conservation status of the Sungrebe as of Least Concern. Their northward expansion seems to justify that status. However, very little is known about any population of sungrebe, including the nature of their risk factors and whether the range of the Sungrebe consists of a single large population at low risk or a series of genetically distinct populations at higher risk. Further, tropical wetland areas are attractive targets for agricultural usage and hydroelectric projects. The Sungrebe's preference for heavy cover and tendency to avoid the presence of humans may limit its ability to cope with the rapid urbanization of Latin America. Nevertheless, Sungrebes seem to be faring much better than their relatives, who live in much more population-dense, much less well protected or environmentally regulated parts of the world.
