Green sunfish nest in shallow water colonies where nests are often closely packed. Gravel or rocky bottom sites are usually preferred for nest building. Spawning occurs in late spring, when water temperatures rise above 70 F, and may continue throughout the summer. Hybridization with other sunfish species is very common. Because of their enormous reproductive potential green sunfish often overpopulate small lakes and ponds.
Adults feed on insects and small fish.
Distribution Originally the distribution of green sunfish appears to have been limited to the central plains west of the Appalachian Mountains and east of the Rocky Mountains, including northeastern Mexico. However, due to introductions the species has become nearly ubiquitous over much of the U.S. the the exception of Florida and parts of the northwest. Due to their propensity to overpopulate and so become stunted, they rarely reach a desirable size for angling. The largest reported specimen in Texas to date was only 0.75 pounds. .