Sunbittern, Eurypyga helias

Sunbittern, Eurypyga helias. Photographs taken in the coastal region of Costa Rica, February 2016. Photographs courtesy of Dr. Tom Bartol, Carlsbad, California.

The Sunbittern, Eurypyga helias, is the sole member of the Eurypygidae Family of Sunbitterns. They are mid-sized in stature. In Mexico they are found within the Pacific Slope Chiapas at elevations below 1,500 m (4,900 feet). From a conservation perspective the Sunbittern is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. They are found in forested areas with water in close proximity, streams, river sandbars, and forest pools including both swift, rocky streams and slower moving, sand- or silt-bottomed streams. They consume crabs, crayfish, small frogs, shrimp, other small crustaceans and a wide variety of insects.

An interesting video is available that reviews the Sunbittern that was made available by Avibase.com: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aelYqCh0-Bs.