The Bluegill (lat. Lepomis macrochirus) belongs to the sunfish freshwater fish family in the Americas. In the United States, it lives in waters east of the Rocky Mountains to coastal Virginia, Florida, Texas and northern Mexico; and is also distributed north to western Minnesota. The Bluegill Sunfish has a high, strongly laterally compressed body. The tip of the gill cover also known as an ear flap is colored dark black. The area of the gill cover near the head can be a greenish blue. The abdomen color can be yellow to orange. There are fairly wide transverse stripes on the sides. It prefers shallow, grassy areas. An adult fish weighs on average 0.2-1.1 kg. The maximum weight is 2.2 kg.