Two members of the birdwatching community (Chelsea Sampson & Davis Gunn) stumbled on a rare Sungrebe (Heliornis fulica) at La Vega Estate, Gran Couva on October 14th, 2023. This species had not been recorded in T&T since 1991! Of course, several of us took to the road to see this wonder ourselves. Having seen it twice now (on October 15th & 16th) one thing I can say for sure – it is one (of several birds) named for its looks rather than behaviour! The genus name Heliornis is a combination of the Greek words for sun (helios) and bird (ornis) and refers to the striped facial pattern that looks like rays of the sun.
They were called sungrebes because they bore some resemblance to the totally separate family of waterbirds called grebes – but are actually more closely related to rails. So not actually a grebe! In addition, these birds prefer slow-moving secluded shady streams and water bodies confirming that, from what we have seen in the short time this individual has been here, they really don’t like the sun! This bird (a female based on the orange cheek patches) would feed in the shade, preferably under bamboo shoots overhanging the pond, and only venture out into the open during the early morning when the sun was not up fully. Once the temperature rose during the mid-to-late morning it retreated back into the shade of the bamboo and only ventured outside to find more food.
When it decided to move to other shady areas searching for more meals, rather than swim across it actually flew from spot to spot ensuring it spent as little time in the sun as possible! So there we have it – an extremely rare bird that is almost diametrically opposed to the name we as humans have given it. I think I will give it a new nickname (for my own purposes) – the Anti-Sungrebe!
