Sunbittern
| Sunbittern Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
| on Cristalino River Southern Amazon, Brazil | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Eurypygiformes |
| Family: | Eurypygidae Selby, 1840 |
| Genus: | Eurypyga Illiger, 1811 |
| Species: | E. helias |
| Binomial name | |
| Eurypyga helias (Pallas, 1781) | |
| Sunbittern range | |
| Synonyms | |
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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.