Horned Screamer
A species of Horned Screamer Scientific name : Anhima cornuta Genus : Horned Screamer
Horned Screamer, A species of Horned Screamer
Botanical name: Anhima cornuta
Genus: Horned Screamer
Content
Description General Info
Photo By Hector Bottai , used under CC-BY-SA-4.0 /Cropped and compressed from original
Description
The horned screamer is a massive 84–95 cm (33–37.5 in) long, 3.5 kg (7.7 lb) bird, with a small chicken-like bill. The upperparts, head, and breast are black, with white speckles on the crown, throat and wing coverts. There is a long spiny structure projecting forward from the crown. This structure is unique among birds and is not derived from a feather but is a cornified structure that is loosely attached to the skull and grows continuously while often breaking at its tip. This gives this species its name. It has very long and lanky legs and three large toes in each. The belly and under wing coverts are white. It has two sharp spurs on its wings and feet which are only partially webbed. The horned screamer's call, as its name suggests, is a very loud echoing sound. It is called "El Clon-Clon" in Ecuador because of this peculiar feature.
Size
94 cm
Life Expectancy
15 years
Habitat
The horned Screamer typically inhabits well-vegetated marshes, freshwater lagoons, tropical wet savannas, and lakes within open or forested zones of South American lowlands. These birds favor areas along riverbanks and are adapted to life in regions with an abundant supply of water plants, which constitute their primary diet. The species constructs nests as large piles of floating vegetation secured in shallow waters. Despite some localized declines, the horned Screamer has maintained a fairly common presence across its range, which has even expanded in certain areas of Brazil.
Dite type
Herbivorous
General Info
Distribution Area
The horned screamer is found in lowlands from Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, French Guiana, and Guyana. It is now extinct in Trinidad and Tobago and Suriname. Despite having declined locally, it remains widespread and is fairly common overall. Its range in Brazil appears to have expanded in recent years. It lives in well-vegetated marshes and feeds on water plants. Its nest is a large pile of floating vegetation anchored in shallow water. Three olive-brown eggs are laid, and the young, like those of most Anseriformes, can run as soon as they are hatched.
Species Status
Not globally threatened.
Photo By Hector Bottai , used under CC-BY-SA-4.0 /Cropped and compressed from original
Scientific Classification
Phylum
Chordates Class
Birds Order
Waterfowl Family
Screamers Genus
Horned Screamer Species
Horned Screamer