Sunbittern | Eurypygidae

Zonnerallen | Garzas del sol

A family with a single species, the Sunbittern, which lives in the south of the region along streams and rivers in humid forest, from the lowlands into the foothills. Its closest relative is the Kagu of New Caledonia; together they form an order of their own, far removed from the herons and rails with which they were once grouped. It is a slender bird carried horizontally, with a long neck, a straight dagger-like bill, rather short orange legs and a broad tail. At rest the plumage is a finely barred mosaic of brown, grey and black, but when wings and tail are spread large chestnut and yellow patches appear that stare forward like a pair of eyes; the display serves both in courtship and to deter predators. Stalking slowly and patiently along the water's edge, the Sunbittern catches fish, insects, crustaceans and frogs with a quick thrust of the bill. The call is a high, thin whistle. The nest is a mound of mud and plant material on a branch over or near water, and both parents incubate the usual clutch of two eggs.