Crested Screamer

Chauna torquata

Also known as the southern screamer.

Class

Aves

Order

Anseriformes

Family

Anhimidae

Range

Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, north and eastern Argentina, southern Brazil, and Uruguay

Size

Length: 28 - 37 in
Wingspan: 5.5 ft
Weight: 4 - 11 lbs

Habitat

Marshes, wet savannas, swamps, open lowlands, and forest lagoons

Young

Clutch of 2 - 7 eggs
Incubation: 40 - 45 days

Diet

Grasses, stems, seeds, berries and leaves, occasionally insects and small animals

IUCN Status

Least Concern

Screamers are well named for their loud, distinctive call.

Their call is often used as a warning to alert other waterfowl and animals in the area of possible imminent danger. It can be heard up to two miles away.

Adaptations

Unlike most waterfowl, screamers don’t have webbed feet. Instead, they have long toes that help them grasp vegetation while they wade through their watery habitat. They can swim well, but are also able to walk on dense mats of floating plants. The spurs protruding from their wings are made of bone and used for defense.

Family Life

Pairs have monogamous relationships, sometimes mating for life. Their courtship involves loud, continuous duets with constant preening. After hatching, chicks leave the nest and begin to feed on their own. Fledging period is 8 – 14 weeks.

Status

The crested screamer is the most common of the three screamer species, but it is under increasing pressure from hunting and habitat destruction. The species seems to be able to adapt to the presence of humans and has been known to colonize cultivated fields in addition to its original habitat.

Crested Screamer