Sungrebe (Heliornis fulica)
Illustration redrawn by AI from a real photograph

Sungrebe

Heliornis fulica (Boddaert, 1783)

132 gWeight

The sungrebe or American finfoot (Heliornis fulica) is a small aquatic gruiform found in the tropical and subtropical Americas from northeastern Mexico to central Ecuador and southern Brazil.

Most records: Costa Rica, Brazil, Peru

Least Concern

Where and when it's recorded

Sungrebe has been recorded at 207 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 19 countries and regions.

Records by month Southern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. Refugio mixto Caño NegroCosta Rica1,961 records
  2. Sani LodgeEcuador538 records
  3. Estación Biológica La Selva-OTSCosta Rica534 records
More places
  1. Napo Wildlife Center – Añangu CreekEcuador326 records
  2. Poconé – SouthWild PantanalBrazil299 records
  3. Napo Wildlife CenterEcuador285 records
  4. Pantanal – Pousada Rio ClaroBrazil279 records
  5. TortugueroCosta Rica271 records
  6. Lago SandovalPeru265 records
  7. Medio Queso wetlandCosta Rica236 records

Countries and regions with the most records

Costa RicaBrazilPeruEcuadorBelizeHondurasGuatemalaNicaragua

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The sungrebe or American finfoot (Heliornis fulica) is a small aquatic gruiform found in the tropical and subtropical Americas from northeastern Mexico to central Ecuador and southern Brazil.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Sungrebe?

The Sungrebe weighs around 132 g.

Where does the Sungrebe live?

Its breeding range: Middle America, South America: southeastern Mexico to northeastern Argentina. It is most often recorded in Costa Rica, Brazil and Peru.

Is the Sungrebe endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Sungrebe as Least Concern.

What does the Sungrebe eat?

Main food: Fish, shrimp & shellfish.

What family is the Sungrebe in?

It belongs to the family Finfoots (Heliornithidae), order Gruiformes.

At a glance

Weight
132 g
Habitat
Wetland
Diet
Fish, shrimp & shellfish
Lifestyle
On the water surface
Migration
Resident (barely migrates)
Conservation
Least Concern
More measurements
Wing
142 mm
Tail
82 mm
Bill
32 mm
Tarsus
22 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Middle America, South America: southeastern Mexico to northeastern Argentina

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Classification

Family
Finfoots Heliornithidae
Genus
Heliornis

More from the family Finfoots

African FinfootAfrican FinfootPodica senegalensisMasked FinfootMasked FinfootHeliopais personatus
Sungrebe

Download illustration

Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Antonio Amaral. ↗

WebP · 1070 px

Heard it but can't see it? Mingji identifies birds by sound and photo, on your phone.

In other languages