Southern screamer

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Southern screamer
File:Southern screamer (Chauna torquata).JPG
in the Pantanal, Brazil
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Aves
Order:
Anseriformes
Family:
Anhimidae
Genus:
Chauna
Species:
C. torquata
Binomial name
Chauna torquata
Oken, 1816
File:Southern Screamer.png
Distribution map

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The southern screamer (Chauna torquata), also known as the crested screamer, belongs to the order Anseriformes. It is found in southeastern Peru, northern Bolivia, Paraguay, southern Brazil, Uruguay and northern Argentina.[2] Its diet consists of plants stems, seeds, leaves, and, rarely, small animals.

Description

The southern screamer averages 81–95 cm (32–37 in) long and weighs 3–5 kg (6.6–11.0 lb).[3] They are the heaviest, although not necessarily the longest, of the three screamers.[4] The wingspan is around 170 cm (67 in).[5] Among standard measurements, the wing chord measures 54 cm (21 in), the tail 23.2 cm (9.1 in), the culmen 4.5 cm (1.8 in) and the long tarsus 11 cm (4.3 in).[6] It lives in tropical and sub-tropical swamps, estuaries and watersides.

Behaviour and ecology

The southern screamer is a good swimmer, having partially webbed feet, but prefers to move on the ground. The bony spurs on its wings are used for protection against rival screamers and other enemies. Although it is non-migratory, it is an excellent flier. It lives in large flocks, feeding on the ground in grasslands and cultivated fields until nesting season, when birds pair off.[7]

Breeding

The southern screamer establishes monogamous relationships that last its lifetime, estimated to be 15 years. Courtship involves loud calling by both sexes, which can be heard up to two miles away.[7] For the nest the couple makes a big platform of reeds, straws, and other aquatic plants in an inaccessible place near water. The female lays between two and seven white eggs. The couple share incubation, which takes 43 to 46 days. Chicks leave the nest as soon as they hatch, but the parents care for them for several weeks. The fledging period takes 8 to 14 weeks.

Gallery

  • Chauna torquata -Iguazu Bird Park, Brazil -nest-8a.jpg

    On a nest at Iguazu Bird Park, Brazil

  • Southern Screamer RWD9.jpg

    Sitting on 2 eggs.

  • Chauna torquata -Santa Vitoria do Palmar, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil -adult and chicks-8.jpg

    Family in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

  • Young Southern Screamer.JPG

    Chicks

  • Crested screamer arp.jpg

    There are two color phases, light and dark.[7]

  • Head

  • Chauna torquata -Artis Zoo, Netherlands-8a.jpg

    At Artis Zoo, Netherlands

  • Southern screamer (Chauna torquata) in flight.JPG

    In flight, the Pantanal, Brazil

See also

References

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  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Clements, James, (2007) The Clements Checklist of the Birds of the World, Cornell University Press, Ithaca
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ del Hoyo, Elliott & Sargatal. Handbook of Birds of the World, Volume 1 Ostrich to Ducks. ISBN 84-87334-10-5
  5. ↑ Screamer (2011).
  6. ↑ of Birds in the British Museum
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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