LC
Sunbittern Eurypyga helias



Taxonomy

Taxonomic source(s)
del Hoyo, J., Collar, N.J., Christie, D.A., Elliott, A. and Fishpool, L.D.C. 2014. HBW and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Volume 1: Non-passerines. Lynx Edicions BirdLife International, Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge, UK.
SACC. 2005 and updates. A classification of the bird species of South America. Available at: https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCBaseline.htm.

IUCN Red List criteria met and history
Red List criteria met
Critically Endangered Endangered Vulnerable
- - -

Red List history
Year Category Criteria
2020 Least Concern
2016 Least Concern
2012 Least Concern
2009 Least Concern
2008 Least Concern
2004 Least Concern
2000 Lower Risk/Least Concern
1994 Lower Risk/Least Concern
1988 Lower Risk/Least Concern
Species attributes

Migratory status not a migrant Forest dependency high
Land-mass type Average mass 210 g
Range

Estimate Data quality
Extent of Occurrence (breeding/resident) 11,900,000 km2 medium
Severely fragmented? no -
Population
Estimate Data quality Derivation Year of estimate
Population size 500000-4999999 mature individuals poor estimated 2009
Population trend decreasing - inferred 1999-2041
Rate of change over the past 10 years/3 generations (longer of the two periods) 1-19% - - -
Rate of change over the future 10 years/3 generations (longer of the two periods) 1-19% - - -
Rate of change over the past & future 10 years/3 generations (longer of the two periods) 1-19% - - -
Generation length 14.2 years - - -

Population justification: The global population is estimated to number 500,000-4,999,999 mature individuals (Partners in Flight 2019).

Trend justification: The population is undergoing a moderate decline (Partners in Flight 2019). A remote sensing study found that habitat within the range was lost at a rate of 12% over three generations (42.6 years; Tracewski et al. 2016); therefore the species is likely declining at <10% over three generations.


Country/territory distribution
Country/Territory Presence Origin Resident Breeding visitor Non-breeding visitor Passage migrant
Bolivia extant native yes
Brazil extant native yes
Colombia extant native yes
Costa Rica extant native yes
Ecuador extant native yes
French Guiana extant native yes
Guatemala extant native yes
Guyana extant native yes
Honduras extant native yes
Mexico extant native yes
Nicaragua extant native yes
Panama extant native yes
Peru extant native yes
Suriname extant native yes
Venezuela extant native yes

Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBA)
Country/Territory IBA Name

Habitats & altitude
Habitat (level 1) Habitat (level 2) Importance Occurrence
Forest Subtropical/Tropical Swamp major resident
Wetlands (inland) Permanent Rivers/Streams/Creeks (includes waterfalls) major resident
Altitude 0 - 1830 m Occasional altitudinal limits  

Utilisation
Purpose Scale
Pets/display animals, horticulture international

Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Sunbittern Eurypyga helias. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/sunbittern-eurypyga-helias on 27/12/2024.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2024) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/search on 27/12/2024.