- Anhima cornuta
Identification
![](/wiki/images/thumb/c/c9/Horned_Screamer_Cocha_Blanco_Peru.jpg/350px-Horned_Screamer_Cocha_Blanco_Peru.jpg)
Cocha Blanco, Río Madre de Dios, Manu Lodge, Madre de Dios Department, Peru, 13 September 2018
L. 84-95 cm (33-38 in)
Wt. 3.5 kg (7.7 lbs)
- Black head, breast and upperparts
- White speckles on the crown, throat and wing coverts
- Long quill projects forward from the crown
- White belly and underwing coverts
- Two sharp spurs on its wings
- Long, strong legs
- Partially webbed feet
Distribution
South America: found in Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, and Ecuador.
Taxonomy
Habitat
Well-vegetated marshes in the lowlands. Moist tropical forests
Behaviour
Diet
Their diet consists mostly of aquatic plants, including leaves, stems, roots and flowers. They also eat a small amount of insects.
Breeding
Monogamous. The nest is a large pile of floating vegetation anchored in shallow water. The clutch contains 3 olive-brown eggs.
Vocalisation
Loud braying calls that sound like a donkey carry long distances. Air-sacks in their legs make a popping sound.
Movements
Mostly resident.
References
- 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/
- Carboneras, C., Boesman, P. & Kirwan, G.M. (2019). Horned Screamer (Anhima cornuta). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from https://www.hbw.com/node/52790 on 19 July 2019).
- Piland, N. (2010). Horned Screamer (Anhima cornuta), version 1.0. In Neotropical Birds Online (T. S. Schulenberg, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/nb.horscr1.01
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Horned Screamer. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 1 September 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Horned_Screamer