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The sunbittern consumes a wide range of animal prey. Insects form an important part of the diet, with cockroaches, dragonfly larvae, flies, katydids, water beetles and moths being taken. Other invertebrate prey includes crabs, spiders, shrimps and earthworms. They will also take vertebrate prey
452:
however have vividly colored middle webs, which with wings fully spread show bright eyespots in red, yellow, and black. These are shown to other sunbitterns in courtship and threat displays, or used to startle potential predators. Male and female adult sunbitterns can be differentiated by small
604:
Sunbitterns start nesting in the early wet season and before it starts they make flight displays 10–15 m (33–49 ft) high in the forest canopy. They build open nests in trees, and lay two eggs with blotched markings. The young are
583:
Sunbitterns are one of 12 species of birds in five families that have been described as fishing using baits or lures to attract prey to within striking distance. This type of behaviour falls within the common definition of
752:
Oliveira, Edivaldo H. C. de; Ferguson-Smith, Malcolm A.; O´Brien, Patricia C. M.; Tagliarini, Marcella
Mergulhão; Santos, Michelly da Silva dos; Monte, Amanda Almeida; Furo, Ivanete de Oliveira (1 December 2015).
1662:
345:). Molecular studies seem to confirm that the kagu and sunbittern are each other's closest living relatives and have a similar wing display. They are probably not Gruiformes (though the proposed
876:
468:, the upperparts are mainly brown, and the legs and lower mandible are orange-yellow. The two other subspecies are greyer above, and their legs and bill are sometimes redder.
742:(1997) Phylogeny and evolution of 12S rDNA in Gruiformes (Aves). In: Mindell, D. P. (ed.), Avian Molecular Evolution and Systematics. Academic Press, San Diego. Pp. 121–158.
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755:"Cytotaxonomy of Eurypyga helias (Gruiformes, Eurypygidae): First Karyotypic Description and Phylogenetic Proximity with Rynochetidae"
883:
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Ruxton, Graeme D.; Hansell, Michael H. (January 2011). "Fishing with a Bait or Lure: A Brief Review of the
Cognitive Issues".
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They are cryptic birds that display their large wings, that exhibits a pattern that resemble eyes, when they feel threatened.
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866:(2008) Bird evolution: testing the Metaves clade with six new mitochondrial genomes. BMC Evolutionary Biology 8 (20).
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differences in the feather patterns of the throat and head. Like some other birds, the sunbittern has
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The bird has a generally subdued coloration, with fine linear patterns of black, grey and brown. Its
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as in shorebirds and rails. In the South
American subspecies found in lowlands east of the
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forests, generally with an open understorey and near rivers, streams, ponds or lagoons.
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The sunbittern will open its wings to display two large eye spots when threatened
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are just as weakly supported). Altogether, the two species seem to form a minor
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Diversification of
Neoaves: Integration of molecular sequence data and fossils
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302:. The sunbittern shows both morphological and molecular similarities with the
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The sunbittern has a long and pointed bill that is black above, and a short
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del Hoyo, J. Elliott, A. & Sargatal, J. (editors). (1996)
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Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 3: Hoatzin to Auks
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including fish, tadpoles, toads and frogs, eels and lizards.
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A guide to the birds of Mexico and
Northern Central America
609:, but remain in the nest for several weeks after hatching.
298:. It is found in Central and South America, and has three
274:-like bird of tropical regions of the Americas, and the
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Archibald, George W. (1991). Forshaw, Joseph (ed.).
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The sunbittern was formerly treated as two species (
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Higher-level bird taxa restricted to the
Neotropics
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687:. GBIF—the Global Biodiversity Information Facility
821:Parallel radiations in the primary clades of birds
659:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T22691893A163625651.en
528:. This subspecies may also be present in southern
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926:. London: Merehurst Press. p. 100.
333:The sunbittern is usually placed in the
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956:Sunbittern videos, photos & sounds
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853:. Biology Letters 2 (4): pp. 543–547
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1608:IUCN Red List least concern species
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539:The species is found in the humid
520:, through Central America and the
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909:10.1111/j.1439-0310.2010.01848.x
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958:on the Internet Bird Collection
924:Encyclopaedia of Animals: Birds
634:BirdLife International (2020).
563:A sunbittern on display in the
1653:Birds of the Amazon rainforest
565:Natural History Museum, London
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780:10.1371/journal.pone.0143982
16:Species of bittern-like bird
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80:Scientific classification
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472:Distribution and habitat
43:Southern Amazon, Brazil
1658:Birds described in 1781
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488:. The nominate race,
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403:– Amazonian sunbittern
1554:Paleobiology Database
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547:Behaviour and ecology
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431:– foothill sunbittern
415:– northern sunbittern
826:7 April 2013 at the
1623:Birds of Costa Rica
771:2015PLoSO..1043982F
496:basin, through the
343:Rhynochetos jubatus
308:Rhynochetos jubatus
285:(sometimes spelled
50:Conservation status
1638:Birds of Venezuela
1618:Birds of Nicaragua
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504:. The subspecies
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146:
18:
1515:Neotropical
1450:iNaturalist
1328:Eurypygidae
1308:Wikispecies
1227:Eurypygidae
1216:Rhynochetos
1183:Proplegadis
1156:Heliadornis
1125:Prophaethon
1002:sunbitterns
994:tropicbirds
691:17 December
665:12 November
541:Neotropical
524:to western
514:E. h. major
455:powder down
436:Description
407:E. h. major
363:powder down
357:and/or the
287:Eurypigidae
283:Eurypygidae
276:sole member
147:Eurypygidae
24:Sunbittern
1602:Categories
1580:Xeno-canto
1239:Eoeurypyga
1118:Lithoptila
992:Genera of
903:(1): 1–9.
621:References
387:allopatric
383:subspecies
369:Subspecies
335:Gruiformes
300:subspecies
262:sunbittern
1013:Kingdom:
833:Evolution
789:1932-6203
607:precocial
518:Guatemala
482:Guatemala
427:Stolzmann
423:Berlepsch
375:E. helias
355:adzebills
351:Gondwanan
316:gondwanic
179:Species:
103:Kingdom:
97:Eukaryota
1494:22691893
1468:10590519
1416:45509083
1354:22691893
1349:BirdLife
1293:Wikidata
1246:Eurypyga
1163:Phaethon
1132:Zhylgaia
1031:Clade: ]
1021:Chordata
1019:Phylum:
1015:Animalia
897:Ethology
845:Ericson
824:Archived
807:26624624
759:PLOS ONE
616:Breeding
592:Breeding
586:tool use
502:Pantanal
411:Hartlaub
379:E. major
329:Taxonomy
295:Eurypyga
234:Synonyms
165:Eurypyga
143:Family:
117:Chordata
113:Phylum:
107:Animalia
93:Domain:
70:IUCN 3.1
1520:sunbit1
1442:2474332
1403:sunbit1
1377:sunbit1
1336:Avibase
1299:Q601107
1034:Clade:
1025:Class:
849:(2006)
798:4666659
767:Bibcode
575:Feeding
534:Chiapas
526:Ecuador
494:Orinoco
450:remiges
401:, 1781)
359:mesites
347:Metaves
278:of the
272:bittern
270:) is a
213:, 1781)
171:Illiger
160:Genus:
133:Order:
123:Class:
68: (
1559:400287
1481:176409
1429:EYPAHE
930:
882:
864:et al.
847:et al.
805:
795:
787:
740:et al.
738:Houde
726:
530:Mexico
486:Brazil
462:hallux
429:, 1902
425:&
413:, 1844
399:Pallas
289:) and
280:family
211:Pallas
173:, 1811
154:, 1840
1546:86680
1533:72692
1507:54383
1463:IRMNG
1398:eBird
1390:3D6HG
1374:BOW:
1367:95400
998:kagus
522:Chocó
478:range
466:Andes
320:clade
310:) of
291:genus
152:Selby
1572:6912
1502:NCBI
1489:IUCN
1476:ITIS
1437:GBIF
1424:EPPO
1362:BOLD
1027:Aves
928:ISBN
880:ISBN
803:PMID
785:ISSN
724:ISBN
693:2017
667:2021
650:2020
510:Peru
500:and
444:Head
377:and
339:kagu
304:kagu
260:The
127:Aves
1567:TSA
1411:EoL
1385:CoL
1323:ADW
905:doi
901:117
793:PMC
775:doi
654:doi
484:to
38:on
1604::
1582::
1569::
1556::
1543::
1530::
1517::
1504::
1491::
1478::
1465::
1455:19
1452::
1439::
1426::
1413::
1400::
1387::
1364::
1351::
1338::
1325::
1310::
1295::
1000:,
996:,
899:.
830:.
801:.
791:.
783:.
773:.
763:10
761:.
757:.
701:^
648:.
642:.
457:.
389:.
365:.
325:.
1235:†
1179:†
1169:†
1152:†
1135:?
1106:†
1097:?
1090:†
1080:†
985:e
978:t
971:v
936:.
911:.
907::
809:.
777::
769::
695:.
681:"
669:.
656::
640:"
636:"
567:.
397:(
341:(
306:(
264:(
209:(
72:)
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