Sun Grebe, common name for a tropical, mainly aquatic bird of the family Heliornithidae. Sun grebes, also called fin foots, are remarkable for their colourful, puffy-toed, webbed feet, which may serve as lures for fish and other aquatic animals. They are good divers and hunt, either swimming partially submerged or from low perches. Their diet consists mainly of small aquatic animals, but they are also known to eat some plant matter. They have elongate bodies, about 12 to 20 in. (30.5–51 cm) long, and necks with long and pointed, grebe like bills. However, they are not related to the true grebe. Shy and solitary creatures, sun grebes are found singly or in pairs, typically in the vicinity of densely wooded pools and streams, and little is known of their habits.
Photographer: Dave Saunders