The bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) is a species of freshwater fish. It is a member of the sunfish family Centrarchidae of the order Perciformes. A defining characteristic of the bluegill is the bright blue edging visible on its gill rakers. The bluegill occurs naturally in the United States east of the Rocky Mountains from coastal Virginia to Florida, west to Texas and northern Mexico, and north to western Minnesota and western New York. Today they have been transported most everywhere else in North America, and have also been introduced into Europe, South Africa, Asia, South America, and Oceania.