Sunbittern chick makes fluffy debut

Posted by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren, Communications

Photos by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren, Woodland Park Zoo

The cutest, fluffiest little sunbittern chick hatched recently in the Tropical Rain Forest (TRF) canopy!  

Hello, little one!

At  two or three weeks old, it can already be seen stretching its legs and its trademark long, thin neck around the nest. If you are willing to crane your own neck a bit, you can get a good view!

Camouflage fluff keeps baby hidden in the nest.

Sunbitterns typically look for dips in tree branches to lay their eggs, lining the nests with mud, moss, plant fibers, and other soft materials. Females lay between one and two eggs, and both sexes share the nest guarding, incubation, and brooding duties.

Once the egg(s) hatches, usually in about thirty days, the parents will continue to share feeding and brooding duties.

A lesson in how to gulp grubs makes for a picture perfect image.

Sticking close to mom, for now.

Our chick fledged the nest recently and its downy plumage is already beginning to be replaced with adult feathers. Those same feathers will result in the sunbittern’s signature plumage, which when displayed with spread wings will appear to be a large, colorful set of eyes. The birds use the impressive display for courtship, and to deter potential threats and predators. 

The chick is already showing the beautiful linear patterns of black, grey and brown.

It’s been four years since our last sunbittern chick hatched and hand-reared by keeper staff. That same bird, a female, is now the mother of our newest chick !

Feed me! The chick will demand lots of snacks from its parents as it grows.

Once our new chick is grown and independent, its final home will be determined by the Species Survival Plan for sunbitterns, which Woodland Park Zoo coordinates for accredited conservation zoos nationally.

But until then, pay a visit to the TRF canopy and be sure to look up!