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Southern Screamer - BirdForum Opus

Photo by juninho
Transpantaneira highway, Pantanal, Brazil, September 2004
Chauna torquata

Identification

80–95 cm (31½-37½ in)

  • Occipital crest
  • Grey head and upperparts
  • Darker on primaries and secondaries
  • Bony spurs on wings (for defensive use)

Sexes similar.

Photo by Stanley Jones
Ceibas Loop, Entre Rios Province, Argentina, October 2019

Distribution

Display – Bony spurs on wings
Photo © by beechwood
Northern Argentina, 12 January 2012

South America: found in south-eastern Peru, northern Bolivia, southern Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, northern Argentina

Taxonomy

This is a monotypic species[1].

Habitat

Wet lowlands, savanna, estuaries and pool coasts. Observed at heights around 128 m.

Behaviour

Often perches on the top of the trees and other high points, screaming loudly when it perceives danger.

It is a good swimmer but prefers to move on the ground.

Diet

The diet consists mostly of plants: stems, seeds, and leaves. They occasionally eat small animals.

Breeding

Monogamous. The nest is a big platform of reeds, straw and aquatic plants, in inaccessible places. The clutch consists of 2-7 white eggs, which are incubated by both parents for 43 to 46 days. The fledging period takes 8 to 14 weeks.

References

  1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2019. The eBird/Clements Checklist of Birds of the World: v2019. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
  2. Lepage D. (2021) [Avibase - https://avibase.ca/91194BE3]. Retrieved 22 May 2021
  3. Brady, S. (2020). Southern Screamer (Chauna torquata), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (T. S. Schulenberg, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.souscr1.01
  1. BF Member observations
  2. Wikipedia

Recommended Citation

External Links

GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1

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