Heliornis fulica
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
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. The sungrebe is now the only species placed in the genus Heliornis that was erected by the French naturalist Pierre Bonnaterre in 1791 with the sungrebe as the type species. The name of the genus combines the Ancient Greek hēlios meaning "sun" and ornis meaning "bird". The specific epithet fulica is Latin for "coot".
These waterfowl have broad lobes on their feet, convergent to that of grebes or coots, that they use to propel themselves in the water. They are reclusive birds, preferring well-covered slow-flowing streams and secluded waterways, sometimes swimming partly submerged, like an anhinga.
Sungrebes are unique among birds in that males have "pouches", folds of skin under their wings in which they carry their young from hatching until the chicks are able to swim for themselves. This has led to them being called "Marsupial Birds"; certain feathers, with their own musculature, serve as "guard rails" to prevent the baby from falling out.
Sungrebes, when perching or on land... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 2 | Yasuní National Park | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 3 | Anavilhanas National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 4 | Tortuguero National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 5 | Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 6 | Amacayacu National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 7 | Tambopata National Reserve | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 8 | Manu National Park | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 9 | Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 10 | Tikal National Park | 🇬🇹 Guatemala | |
| 11 | Calakmul Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 12 | Braulio Carrillo National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 13 | Arenal Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 14 | Iguaçu National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Sungrebe sighting in Tambopata National Reserve on a given day, based on 191 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 240th most-seen of the 550 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February and August–December
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Sungrebe in Tambopata National Reserve on a given day, against under 5% in January and March–July, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Sungrebe sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
7th of 14
Of the 14 parks where we can rate Sungrebe sightings, Tambopata National Reserve ranks 7th at about 10%. The best odds are in Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve (Ecuador, about 30%), Yasuní National Park (Ecuador, about 20%) and Anavilhanas National Park (Brazil, about 20%).
Same order: Gruiformes
The closest relatives of the Sungrebe that you can see in Tambopata National Reserve (order Gruiformes, Cranes, Rails, and Allies) are Gray-cowled Wood-Rail (about 10%) and Pale-winged Trumpeter (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Sungrebe is recorded against all the birds logged in Tambopata National Reserve (191 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.
