Limpkin
A species of Limpkins, Also known as Courlan Scientific name : Aramus guarauna Genus : Limpkins
Limpkin, A species of Limpkins
Also known as:
Courlan
Botanical name: Aramus guarauna
Genus: Limpkins
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Description People often ask General Info
Photo By silversea_starsong , used under CC-BY-NC-4.0 /Cropped and compressed from original 
Description
The limpkin is a somewhat large bird, 64–73 cm (25–29 in) long, with a wingspan of 101–107 cm (40–42 in). Body mass ranges from 900 to 1,300 g (2.0 to 2.9 lb), averaging 1,080 g (2.38 lb). The males are slightly larger than the females in size, but no difference in plumage is seen. Its plumage is drab—dark brown with an olive luster above. The feathers of the head, neck, wing coverts, and much of the back and underparts (except the rear) are marked with white, making the body look streaked and the head and neck light gray. It has long, dark-gray legs and a long neck. Its bill is long, heavy, and downcurved, yellowish bill with a darker tip. The bill is slightly open near but not at the end to give it a tweezers-like action in removing snails from their shells, and in many individuals the tip curves slightly to the right, like the apple snails' shells. The white markings are slightly less conspicuous in first-year birds. Its wings are broad and rounded and its tail is short. It is often confused with the immature American white ibis. This bird is easier to hear than see. Its common vocalization is a loud wild wail or scream with some rattling quality, represented as "kwEEEeeer or klAAAar." This call is most often given at night and at dawn and dusk. Other calls include "wooden clicking", clucks, and in alarm, a "piercing bihk, bihk...". 
Size
66 - 71 cm
Colors
Brown
Gray
White
Life Expectancy
12 years
Nest Placement
Ground
Clutch Size
4 - 7 eggs
Incubation Period
1 - 3 broods
Number of Broods
26 - 28 days
Feeding Habits
Limpkin primarily consume apple snails, particularly Pomacea, complemented by other freshwater snails, mussels, plus occasional insects, seeds, lizards, frogs, and crustaceans. They forage in shallow water or on floating vegetation, prowl and probe for prey visually or tactically if murky, and employ a scissoring motion to extract mollusks. Limpkin forage alone or in small groups but don't join mixed-species flocks. They occasionally eat rotten wood, possibly for digestion or nutrition. Most food is consumed without breaking the shell.
Habitat
Limpkin typically resides in wetland habitats, ranging from freshwater marshes with tall reeds to swamps and mangroves. At altitudes up to 1,500 meters, limpkin adapts to various aquatic environments, including forested ponds, lakes, sloughs, canals, and marshy areas with slow-moving waterbodies. These habitats are often populated with flora such as duckweed, pickerel weed, sawgrass, and water hyacinths. Limpkin thrives in regions where apple snails are abundant, extending to spring-fed rivers in the Southeastern US and occasionally wet agricultural fields like sugarcane if snails are available.
Nest Behavior
Limpkin males usually select the nest site and start construction, with females assisting, particularly towards the end. The birds build nests year-round when conditions are suitable, with a peak in egg-laying from February to August. Both parents partake in caring for the eggs and young, with the provision of a brooding platform once the chicks are mobile. The platform is often located far from the initial nest site.
Nest Characteristics
Limpkin's nests are often placed near water, partly hidden among tall marsh grasses, on floating vegetation, up in trees, or even in old raptor nests, sometimes reaching heights of up to 46 feet. Males mainly construct the nests using sticks, stalks, vines, leaves, rushes, and occasionally lined with finer material like Spanish moss. Sizes average about 20 inches in diameter and 3 inches deep, with some nests also featuring a separate 'brooding platform' for the young. The structure of these nests can range from woven and sturdy to loose and precarious.
Dite type
Aquatic invertebrate eater
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General Info
Sounds
Call
Recording location: Brazil
Call
Recording location: Suriname
Call
Recording location: Venezuela
Behavior
Limpkin exhibit remarkable adaptability in their swamp-woods environment, adeptly navigating trees and floating vegetation with their elongated toes. Their daily patterns reflect territorial tendencies, with males aggressively guarding their domains against rivals through loud calls and display rituals. Although combat is infrequent, fierce kicking and bill-jabbing can occur. Females exhibit assertiveness too, often expelling other females and young from their territory. During mating, females may court multiple males in succession—termed 'serial polyandry'—eventually forming a pair bond characterized by mutual closeness and the male's offering of food or material. Limpkin generally maintain territories year-round, which can be densely packed in rich feeding grounds. Outside breeding season, they may form clusters primarily comprising females and juveniles.
Distribution Area
The limpkin occurs from peninsular Florida (and formerly the Okefenokee Swamp in southern Georgia) and southern Mexico through the Caribbean and Central America to northern Argentina. In South America, it occurs widely east of the Andes; west of them its range extends only to the Equator. It inhabits freshwater marshes and swamps, often with tall reeds, as well as mangroves. In the Caribbean, it also inhabits dry brushland. In Mexico and northern Central America, it occurs at altitudes up to 1,500 m (4,900 ft). In Florida, the distribution of apple snails is the best predictor of where limpkins can be found. The limpkin undertakes some localized migrations, although the extent of these is not fully understood. In some parts in the northern part of the range, females (and a few males) leave the breeding areas at the end of summer, returning at the end of winter. In Brazil, birds breeding in some seasonal marshes leave during the dry season and return again with the rains. Birds may also migrate between Florida and Cuba, as several limpkins on the Florida Keys and Dry Tortugas have been reported, but these records may also represent vagrants or postbreeding dispersal. One study in Florida using wing tags found limpkins dispersed up to 325 km (202 mi) away from the breeding site. This tendency may explain vagrant limpkins seen in other parts of the United States and at sea near the Bahamas.
Species Status
Not globally threatened.
