Stunning Bird

Sunbittern at Pouso Alegre in the Pantanal, Brazil, 2019 (photo from Wikimedia) 5 September 2026 The sunbittern (Eurypyga helias), native to Central and South America, is a cryptically marked wader that lurks in the shadows and behaves like a heron. In its normal posture it is visually interesting but not stunning. Below, a sunbittern in the shade stepped into a patch of sunlight (photo at top). Sunbittern at Pouso Alegre in the Pantanal, Brazil, 2019 (photo from Wikimedia) Sometimes sunbitterns are found in open habitats, such as this marsh where one photobombed a plumbeous ibis. (Also in the Pantanal, this photo was taken an hour away from those at top.) Plumbeous ibis with a sunbittern in the background, Pantanal, Brazil (photo from Wikimedia) The real reason to search for a sunbittern is in hopes that it will open its wings in the Frontal Display. This behavior is rarely photographed in the wild because it is a threat/defensive posture. Two sunbitterns, one displaying, Rio Madre…