Eurypyga helias
Silhouette: Unknown (photo), John E. McCormack, Michael G. Harvey, Brant C. Faircloth, Nicholas G. Crawford, Travis C. Glenn, Robb T. Brumfield & T. Michael Keesey · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
The sunbittern (Eurypyga helias) is a bittern-like bird of tropical regions of the Americas, and the sole member of the family Eurypygidae (sometimes spelled Eurypigidae) and genus Eurypyga. It is found in Central and South America, and has three subspecies. The sunbittern shows both morphological and molecular similarities with the kagu (Rhynochetos jubatus) of New Caledonia, indicating a Gondwanan origin, both species being placed in the clade Eurypygiformes.
The sunbittern was traditionally placed in the Gruiformes, but this was always considered preliminary. Altogether, the bird is most similar to another bird that was provisionally placed in the Gruiformes, the kagu (Rhynochetos jubatus). 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 Metaves are just as weakly supported). Altogether, the two species seem to form a minor Gondwanan lineage which could also include the extinct adzebills and/or the mesites, and is of unclear relation to the Gruiformes proper. Notably, the kagu and mesites also have powder down.
An indeterminate... Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San José | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Busch Gardens Tampa | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | San Diego Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Pairi Daiza | 🇧🇪 Belgium | |
| 4 | National Zoological Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | ZooParc de Beauval | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 6 | Leipzig Zoological Garden | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 7 | Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Antwerp Zoo | 🇧🇪 Belgium | |
| 9 | Barcelona Zoo | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 10 | North Carolina Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 11 | Zoo Miami | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 12 | San Diego Zoo Safari Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 13 | Toronto Zoo | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 14 | Minnesota Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 15 | Bronx Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 16 | Parc zoologique de Montpellier | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 17 | Sedgwick County Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 18 | Chester Zoo | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 19 | Milwaukee County Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 20 | Banham Zoo | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 21 | Los Angeles Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 22 | Toledo Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 23 | Detroit Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 24 | Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 25 | Birmingham Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 26 | Louisville Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 27 | Warsaw Zoo | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 28 | Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 29 | Saint Louis Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 30 | Burgers' Ocean | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | |
| 31 | Berlin Zoological Garden | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 32 | Caldwell Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 33 | Royal Burgers' Zoo | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | |
| 34 | Woodland Park Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 35 | Wrocław Zoological Garden | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 36 | Moody Gardens | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 37 | Franklin Park Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 38 | Zoologischer Garten Leipzig | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 39 | ZooTampa | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 40 | Fort Worth Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 41 | Wildlands | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | |
| 42 | Wilhelma | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 43 | Houston Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 44 | San Antonio Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 45 | Cologne Zoological Garden | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 46 | Philadelphia Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 47 | Mesker Park Zoo and Botanic Garden | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 48 | Fresno Chaffee Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 49 | Schönbrunn Zoo | 🇦🇹 Austria | |
| 50 | Zoo Atlanta | 🇺🇸 United States |
No species of the same family or order lives in Manu National Park, so these are its closest relatives here: other birds.
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Sunbittern sighting in Manu National Park on a given day, based on 384 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 169th most-seen of the 641 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Sunbittern in Manu National Park on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Sunbittern sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
4th of 24
Of the 24 parks where we can rate Sunbittern sightings, Manu National Park ranks 4th at about 10%. The best odds are in Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas (Brazil, about 20%), Tambopata National Reserve (Peru, about 10%) and Amboró National Park (Bolivia, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Sunbittern is recorded against all the birds logged in Manu National Park (384 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
