- Aramus guarauna
Identification
56–71 cm (22-28 in)
- Dark brown overall plumage
- Gray head and neck
- Back and upperwing coverts have bold white spots and streaks
- Long legs and neck
- Long, yellowish bill
Immature similar to adult, but paler. White-streaked underwing coverts visible in flight.
Sexes similar.
Distribution
Southeast U.S., Central America to northern Argentina, Brazil, West Indies
Taxonomy
Subspecies
There are 4 subspecies[1]
- A. g. pictus - Florida, Cuba and Jamaica
- A. g. elucus - Hispaniola and Puerto Rico
- A. g. dolosus - South East Mexico to Panama
- A. g. guarauna - South America (except for arid west coast, Andes and extreme south)
Habitat
Open freshwater rivers, lake edges, mangroves, swamps and marshes.
Photo © by Stanley Jones
Cocha Blanco just off Río Madre de Dios south of Manu Lodge, Madre de Dios Department, Peru, September-2018
Cocha Blanco just off Río Madre de Dios south of Manu Lodge, Madre de Dios Department, Peru, September-2018
Behaviour
Diet
Their main diet consists of apple snails, but they also include other aquatic snails and mussels.
Breeding
They nest on the ground. The clutch consists of about 4-8 olive-buff, brown blotched eggs. The nest is a platform of reeds and grass, lined with finer plant material. Incubation is by both sexes.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2016. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2016, with updates to August 2016. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved June 2017)
- Wikipedia
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2021) Limpkin. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 29 April 2021 from https://www.birdforum.net/wiki/Limpkin
