Perch, bream, and sunfish—same thing right? WRONG. Local names vary for these popular sport fishes, and this post is aimed to clear the water on such a confusing subject.
So just what is a “sunfish”?
Technically, a sunfish is any species in the freshwater fish family Centrarchidae (sin-tr-ark-i-day). These include black basses, rock basses, crappies, banded sunfishes, Flier, and “true” sunfishes.
More specifically, most fishes with the common name sunfish are members of the genera Lepomis (luh-po-mis) or Enneacanthus (in-ee-can-thus)—these are subsets of Centrarchidae. Sunfishes include species that are called by dozens of different common names throughout the US.
Bream vs. sunfish. In the US, bream (pronounced brim) is a common name that encompasses several of the larger Lepomis sunfishes. These usually include Bluegill and Redear Sunfish. Anglers often call the same species different names based on their life forms: large colorful males can be called bream, while smaller individuals of the same species are dismissed as perch, sun perch, or some other misnomer. This is particularly common in the Southern US, where many state management agencies manage all sunfish with the same regulations as simply bream. But don’t go to Europe and talk about bream fishin’ for Bluegill—there is actually an officially recognized species called Bream. It’s scientific name is Abramis brama, and it’s actually a species of minnow (yes, there are MANY minnow species, but that’s a subject for another article).
Perch vs. sunfish. One of the most common misnomers of sunfish is perch. If you want to see a fish biologist cringe, call a sunfish a perch. Sunfishes should not be confused with perch, which are actually members of an altogether different family: Percidae (purse-i-day). Perch species include Yellow Perch, Walleye, and darters. The common name perch is often applied to species in various other groups, which can make matters more confusing. For instance, White Perch is actually a member of the temperate bass family Moronidae (mo-ron-i-day) that includes Striped Bass and White Bass. Another one Surfperch, which is completely marine, and is a member of the family Embiotocidae (em-bee-o-toe-si-day).
Then there’s the pumpkinseed. Males of several sunfish species often display vibrant breeding colors. Colorful males are often called pumpkinseeds, although they may represent several species. Pumpkinseed Sunfish (Lepomis gibbosus) is a single species whose native range is in the throughout the eastern US. Other colorful sunfish species mistakenly called pumpkinseed include Longear Sunfish (L. megalotis), Redbreast Sunfish (L. auritus), and Orangespotted Sunfish (L. humilis), just to name a few.
It’s also worth mentioning that any given sunfish species can be called multiple common names that depend location or habitat. One sunfish with numerous aliases is Redear Sunfish (L. microlophus). Redear are sometimes called shellcrackers because of their affinity for eating snails, although some anglers reserve the term shellcracker for Redear/Bluegill hybrids. In other parts of its range, Redear are called stumpknockers because they prefer to dwell near woody debris, as opposed to the vegetation-loving Bluegill. However, Spotted Sunfish (L. punctatus) can also be called stumpknockers in the Deep South.
Green Sunfish (L. cyanellus) is another fun one. Where I grew up in Western Arkansas, Green Sunfish were called goggle-eye if caught in a creek, black perch if caught from ponds, and rice-slicks if caught as juveniles from flooded rice fields to be used as catfish bait. Of course, if it was big enough, it was called a bream. In fact, I never heard the term Green Sunfish until my sophomore year of college when I took Ichthyology.
Lastly, there are a few officially recognized species with the common name sunfish that are not in Centrarchidae. One is the Banded Pygmy Sunfish, which is in the family Elassomatidae (e-lass-o-mat-i-day). Another is the Ocean Sunfish (Mola mola), but honestly if you confuse this species with a freshwater sunfish…you need to just give up.
All images were retrieved from publicly-funded websites or common-license sources (e.g. Wikipedia)
-by Brandon Peoples
The Fisheries Blog 
Thanks for this very intelligent article!
I grew up in central Texas, and we called these fish “perch” or, if it was bright orangy colors, “sunfish” (or perch). When I moved to Mississippi, I found they call them “bream” (pronounced brim). “White perch” or “Crappie” (pronounced “crap-e” in Mississippi are pronounced “Croppie” in Texas). I’m feeling confused now. lol So, now that I live in Mississippi, if I say I caught a “perch” (Texan), Mississippians think I mean a “crappie” (white perch), when what I mean is what they call bream. If I say I caught a white perch, I would also say I caught a croppie, but they would say I caught a crappie. LOL I love to fish! ~~Lynne Molder
This article is beautifully done. Who is the artist of the fish prints identified with the double E mark, logo? Thanks.
I’m a DEMACRAT I’m getting a pair of hybrid cichlids called the (RED PHEONIX KING CICHLID 👑) they will rule the tank on the left side. The male grows up to a large 28 inches the female 20″ they’re extremely extremely extremely extremely extremely aggressive/territorial/quarrelsome and predatory. I will add citizen cichilds like 4 firemouth cichlids with houses for hiding👍. On the stupid rightwing side of my tank it will be dark with red coral trees and a cave with 1 single male bluegill Sunfish. WARNING: if the rightwing blugill sunfish starts anything with my Hybrid pair of cichlids they will THRASH it. 😆😆😆😆😆HA HA HA HA HA HA HAAAA
What about sauger?
Sauger are also in the perch family (Percidae)
I love fishing
🐟🐟🐠🐠🐡🐡🍖👍👍👍👍👍👍💓💓💓😍😍😍😍😍😇😇😇😇😇
🚣🐟🐡🐠
I’m getting a pair of hybrid cichlids called the (RED PHEONIX KING CICHLID 👑) they South and Central America mixed the male grows up to a large 28 inches the female 20″ they are extremely extremely extremely extremely extremely aggressive/territorial/quarrelsome and predatory I will add citizen cichilds like 4 firemouth cichlids with houses for hiding. On the right side of the tank it will be dark with a cave and red coral trees and single male bluegill Sunfish.😆😆😆😆 HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HAAA.
Thanks for the great information……looking forward to the one about minnows…..
As for me I’m making the left side of my tank DEMACRAT hard left. The rulers on the left side of my tank will be my hybrid pair of (RED PHEONIX KING CICHLIDS 👑) which is South and Central America mixed. I will add citizen cichilds like 4 firemouth cichlids with houses for hiding . On the rightwing side of the tank it will be dark with red coral trees and a cave with 1 single male bluegill Sunfish. WARNNING: this is to tease the bluegill Sunfish he won’t have a mate but my DEMACRAT Hybrid male cichlid will the bluegill Sunfish will get jealous EVERYDAY especially when I have him in the spring and he’s ready to mate I will set it all up where he will get ANGRY and loose it do to sexual tension and in his blind rage he will start a fight and my Hybrid male cichlid will THRASH him😈😈😈😈😈😈HA HA HA HA HA HA HAAAAAA
This was informative and fun. You made this an easy read and provided very clear descriptions of the differences. Now I know why other articles have left me a bit confused. Thanks for the clarity!
Hey its me wolfman I will also be getting a long long long 40 gallon tank with a pair of [SMALLMOUTH BASS], 3 big male pumpkinseed sunfish, 2 big clown loach catfish and 1 single male Rio grande texas cichlid.😁😁😁😁😁😁👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
Very good there is a lot to learn about our brim fish interesting. .but I heard nothing on our warmouth brim .
Now in this case I’m getting a pair of Hybrid cichlids called the NIGHT (CRUISER PHANTOM CICHLIDS 🤴👸👹) the two people means by Hybrid cichlids will be KING and QUEEN LIBERALS of my tank the the red face you see is there aggression the male will get to a large 40 inches the female 16 inches I will also add citizen cichlids like big 4 male firemouth cichlids with houses for hiding and on the right side of the tank it will be dark with red coral trees and a big red cave and 1 single loser republican/conservative white crappie sunfish named {texas sheriff} now to all on here that support trump don’t get excited I only made this tank to show that if that white Republican/conservative crappie gets out of line and starts trouble my liberal Hybrid cichlids will kill it.😆😆minyical laughter😆😆😆😆😆 HAA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HAAAA