Horned Screamer

Overview

The horned screamer (Anhima cornuta) is a large waterfowl native to the wetlands of tropical South America. It is the only member of the genus Anhima and is classified as Least Concern by the IUCN, though its population is likely decreasing.

Identification

• Massive bird measuring 84–95 cm in length and weighing 3–3.5 kg, with very long, lanky legs and three large toes.
• Black upperparts, head, and breast with white speckles on the crown, throat, and wing coverts, contrasting with a white belly and underwing coverts.
• Features a unique long, spiny, cornified structure projecting from the crown and sharp spurs on the wings and partially webbed feet.
• Distinctive small, chicken-like bill and a loud, repetitive echoing call known in Ecuador as 'el clon-clon'.

Habitat

Found in lowland swamps, marshes, and meadows near rivers and lakes across Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, French Guiana, Suriname, and Guyana. The species is generally sedentary, though its range in Brazil appears to have expanded recently, and it may be extirpated from Trinidad.

Diet

The horned screamer is herbivorous, feeding primarily on water plants.

Did you know?

The long, spiny structure on its head is unique among birds; it is not a feather but a cornified structure that grows continuously and often breaks at the tip. The species is the official bird of Arauca, Colombia, with the region and its capital named after the bird, known locally as 'arauco' or 'aruro'.