Sungrebe

Heliornis fulica

The sungrebe (Heliornis fulica) is a small aquatic gruiforme found in the tropical and subtropical Americas from northeastern Mexico to central Ecuador and southern Brazil.It is the only living member of the genus Heliornis. The family Heliornithidae, to which it belongs, contains just two other species: the African finfoot, Podica senegalensis, found in the Afrotropics from Sub-saharan West Africa and the Congo Basin through the Great Lakes' western shores to Southeast Africa, and the masked or Masked finfoot Heliopais personatus, found from eastern Indomalaya down through Sundaland to the Wallace Line.These waterfowl have broad lobes on their feet, convergent to that of grebes or coots, that they use to propel themselves in the water. They are reclusive birds, preferring well-covered slow-flowing streams and secluded waterways, sometimes swimming partly submerged, like an Anhinga.Sungrebes are unique among birds in that males have "pouches", folds of skin under their wings in which they carry their young from hatching until the chicks are able to swim for themselves. This has led to them being called "Marsupial Birds"