Lepomis macrochirus
James F. Parnell
Lepomis macrochirus
James F. Parnell
The Bluegill
is a fish from the Sunfish family. It lives in streams,
rivers, lakes, and ponds. It usually hides around, and
inside, old treestumps and other underwater structures. It
can live in either deep or very shallow water, and will
often move back and forth, depending on the time of day or
season. Bluegills also like to find shelter
among water plants and in the shade of trees along
banks. Bluegills
can grow up to 12 inches long and about 4 1/2 pounds. They
have beautiful coloring, with deep blue and purple on the
face and gill flap, dark olive-colored bands down the side,
and a fiery orange to yellow belly.
Bluegills
eat just about any little animal that will fit into their
small mouths, especially aquatic
(water) insects and terrestrial
(land) insects that fall in the water. Bluegills
are prey
to many animals, such as larger fish, birds, and
turtles. UtahDiving
Frank's Aquarium
Female
Bluegills will lay up to 50,000 eggs in a nest dug into the
bottom of a shallow area. The males will guard the nest and
the fry
(baby fish) when they are born. Bluegills
are the most common fish caught by fishermen in Northern
Virginia. They are easy to catch because they will eat so
many different things;such as earthworms, crickets,
grasshoppers--even people-food like bread and
corn! Bluegills
act as hosts for several parasites, including Eastern Lamp
Mussels and The Big Red Worm, neither of which do the
Bluegill much harm.
Snorkeling Guide to Michigan Inland Lakes
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Relationships in Nature:
Human
Relationship to Humans:
Bluegills are often caught in the wild and eaten by humans. Like nearly all fish, bluegill are nutritious and high in Vitamin D. Bluegill also help humans by eating thousands of pesky insects, such as mosquitos.