Sungrebe
| Sungrebe | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Gruiformes |
| Family: | Heliornithidae |
| Genus: |
Heliornis Bonnaterre, 1791 |
| Species: | H. fulica |
| Binomial name | |
|
Heliornis fulica Boddaert, 1783 |
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The sungrebe or American finfoot (Heliornis fulica) is a bird which breeds in tropical Central and South America from southern Mexico to northeast Argentina and southern Brazil.
It is the only member of the genus Heliornis. The Heliornithidae family, to which it belongs, contains just two other species: the African finfoot, Podica senegalensis, and the masked finfoot Heliopais personatus, which breeds in eastern India down through southeast Asia to the Wallace Line.
These tropical birds of swamps and marshes have broad lobes on their feet, similar to grebes. These are shy birds which swim in slow-flowing streams and secluded waterways, sometimes partly submerged, like an anhinga.
The sungrebe, an aquatic bird, is typically measured to be 28–31 cm long with a weight of around 130 grams. It possesses a slimly shaped body with a tail that extends significantly beyond the body in flight. The sungrebe has predominately brown plumage with white stripes down both sides of the bird's long neck. In addition, both the throat and chin are white. It also has lobed toes that are banded a dull yellow and black and a long red bill.
The differences in appearance between males and females are minimal, but they can be distinguished based on cheek coloring. The male possesses white colored cheeks and the female is buff. An unusual trait of this bird species is the ability for males to carry the chicks within skin pouches on the underside of the wings. Due to the intensity that the male sungrebe grips these chicks, he is even capable of carrying them while flying. This adaptation isn't a mechanism adapted by any other bird species; it is completely unique to the sungrebe. While some other birds may transport while swimming, the ability to fly while carrying the chicks is much less researched and understood due to such a limited number that are capable.
The sungrebe has been frequently reported as having a mating season that begins in the middle of April during the "early wet season." Both the male and female birds take part in the nest building, which typically consists of twigs, reeds, and dried leaves. The nest is a platform placed about a meter above the water's surface in overhanging vegetation.
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Wikipedia