Furry Diary

Not furry, but we like them anyway.

Bluegill

Lepomis macrochirus

Also called Bream, Brim, Sunny, Copper nose

SpeciesShort profile

From North America east of the Rocky Mountains: St. Lawrence-Great Lakes and Mississippi basins and Atlantic and Gulf drainages from Virginia to Texas and northern Mexico123

At a glance the quick version

Length10 to 41 cm213
Lifespan5 to 11 years21
Sizemedium
Colourful and easy to recognise
Males build and guard nests in busy colonies
A favourite of anglers and Illinois' state fish
2

Looks how to spot one

Deep-bodied, flat-sided sunfish

A round, flat sunfish with blue to purple tones on the face and gill cover, dark olive bars along the sides and a yellow to fiery orange belly. A dark flap sits at the back of each gill cover, and breeding males show a bright orange chest.2

Coloursblue-purple facedark olive barsyellow to orange bellybright orange chest (breeding males)2

Personality what they are like

An active, sociable sunfish that is busiest at dawn and dusk. Nesting males are bold defenders of their patch.12

Grooming and care the hands-on bits

Trade in bluegill is prohibited in some countries, including Germany and Japan, so check local rules before keeping one.2

Home where they are happiest

Lakes, ponds, reservoirs and slow streams with deep weed beds. FishBase lists a temperature range of 1-36 C, pH 7.0-7.5 and hardness 10-15 dH.1

Food basics what goes in the bowl

Young fish eat tiny plankton; adults take insect larvae, zooplankton, snails, shrimp, crayfish, worms and small fish.21

Company who they like around

Males nest in colonies, sometimes dozens of nests side by side.2

The story where it all began

The bluegill is native to the eastern half of North America and has been stocked widely for sport fishing across the continent and beyond. In 1960 the mayor of Chicago gave bluegills to Crown Prince Akihito, and descendants of those fish spread through Japan.23

Fun facts for the dinner table

  1. 1

    Bluegill nest colonies have been recorded with as many as 272 nests packed together.2

  2. 2

    Males follow three different breeding strategies: large nest-guarding parents, sneakers and satellites that mimic females.2

  3. 3

    In summer a bluegill eats around 3.2% of its body weight each day.2

  4. 4

    Under good conditions a bluegill can spawn when only four months old.2

Recognised by the official bits

IUCN Red List
Least Concern (assessed 2018)1
State of Illinois
Official state fish of Illinois2
USGS
Two subspecies: L. m. mystacalis (Peninsular Florida) and L. m. macrochirus3

The care rhythm Furry Diary remembers it for you

A typical home-care rhythm for a Bluegill. It is our own starting plan, not a vet's advice, and you can change every line in the app.

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Where this comes from

Every breed page shows where each fact comes from. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are pet people, not a science magazine. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.

  1. FishBase: Lepomis macrochirus fishbase.seused for size, weight, age, native range, water parameters, diet, IUCN status
  2. Wikipedia: Bluegill en.wikipedia.orgused for size, record, colours, diet, colonies, lifespan, state fish, names, history, fun facts
  3. USGS NAS: Lepomis macrochirus fact sheet nas.er.usgs.govused for native range, maximum length, subspecies, history

Checked 2026-09-30. Text is written in our own words from these sources.