Bony fish · Beloniformes · Hemiramphidae

Common Halfbeak

Hyporhamphus unifasciatus

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The common halfbeak — known in Spanish as agujeta blanca, escribano, balajú, marao blanco or pajarito blanco del Atlántico — is the species Hyporhamphus unifasciatus, a marine fish of the family Hemiramphidae, distributed along the western coast of the Atlantic Ocean from Canada to Argentina, including the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico. It is still to be determined whether it is also distributed along the Pacific coast from the United States to Peru, or whether that is a different but similar species.

Weight

up to 93 g

Size

up to 31 cm

Diet

Omnivore

Combines animal and plant food depending on availability.

Social structure

School

Gathers in coordinated schools, typical of fish.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

OceanOmnivore In schools Fish Ocean

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Fun facts

Its lower jaw is greatly elongated into a beak while the upper is short and triangular, which is where the name halfbeak comes from; the fleshy edge of the beak is red.
The juveniles' beak is far less developed than the adults'.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bony fish)
Habitat & environment: Shallow, brackish coastal waters of the western Atlantic, from southern Florida to Uruguay, in the top five metres of the water column
Sexual maturity: Length at first maturity 18.9 cm

Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyporhamphus_unifasciatus