Animalia Life
Heliornis fulica
TAXONOMY
Colymbus fulica Boddaert, 1783, Cayenne. Monotypic.
OTHER COMMON NAMES
English: American finfoot; French: Grйbifoulque d’Amйrique;
German: Zwergbinsenralle; Spanish: Avesol Americano.
PHYSICAL
CHARACTERISTICS
10.2–13 in (26–33
cm); 0.26–0.33 lb
(120–150 g). Yellow
and black banded
feet, upper bill dark
in male, red in female,
lower bill pale.
White throat, black
on top of head to
back of neck, brown
back and pale underneath.
DISTRIBUTION
Southeastern Mexico
through Central and
South America south to Bolivia and northeastern Argentina.
HABITAT
Forest rivers and streams and freshwater lakes and ponds, with
dense fringing and overhanging vegetation.
BEHAVIOR
Permanently territorial; male defends about 200 yd (180 m) of
stream bank.
FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET
Feeds from water surface, occasionally on land; eats mainly
aquatic insects.
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
Breeds in spring (northern part of range) or during rains. Two to
three eggs; incubation 10–11 days, by both sexes; young altricial.
CONSERVATION STATUS
Not threatened. Widespread but rarely observed; numbers unknown.
Regarded as common to uncommon; population density
probably low.
SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS
None known.
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