Southern screamer

Language English

Onglets

Description

Distinguishing features

Screamers are large, semi-aquatic birds similar to geese in appearance. They have long, sturdy, reddish-pink legs and grey plumage. They have partial webbing between their long toes, a vestige of a common aquatic ancestor with geese and ducks.

Its head is quite small in proportion to the rest of its body. It has a crest on top of its head, and the naked skin around its eyes is red. The bill is strong and slightly curved. The male and female are similar in appearance, although the female is slightly smaller.

Screamers are not primitive ancestors of ducks and geese; rather, they are a family that has evolved differently from a common aquatic ancestor. They have abandoned the practice of filtering their food, which is characteristic of ducks and geese. Their bill looks more like a turkey’s than a goose’s.

Reproduction

The southern screamer is monogamous and loyal to its mate, at least for several consecutive years.

The pair builds a large platform nest near the water out of reeds, rushes, long grass and twigs. Surrounded by vegetation and made of plant materials, the nest is virtually invisible. When both adults leave the nest at the same time, they cover it with vegetation. The southern screamer is a solitary breeder and defends its territory fiercely.

Females can lay between two and seven eggs. Eggs are white with light spots. Incubation lasts 43 to 46 days. Both parents share incubation and care for the young.

The chicks are nidifugous. For the first few weeks, the chicks spend most of their time in the water as they cannot run very fast to escape danger on land. They are independent at 12 weeks.

Diet

Screamers’ diet is similar to that of geese. They are primarily vegetarian, eating the green parts of aquatic plants as well as seeds, leaves, roots and the stalks of cultivated plants such as corn. They sometimes eat arthropods (insects, spiders, etc.) and small animals they may find dead in a field. During breeding, they catch more insects to feed their young.

Predators: Hunters hate this bird, as at the slightest sign of danger they will trumpet a call that can be heard two to three kilometres away and cause all nearby animals to take flight. Hunters are therefore tempted to kill them so they don’t scare off their game. The southern screamer’s call consists of two honking notes.

Habitat

This species is not typically found in the tropical rainforest. It prefers open habitats such as flooded fields, prairies, marshes, lakes and lagoons in the tropical and subtropical regions of South America. In winter, southern screamers may settle in drier areas.

They are found only to the south of Amazonia: Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, Brazil (especially the Pantanal region), Uruguay and Argentina.

The southern screamer is threatened by the degradation of its habitat, such as the draining of wetlands for the benefit of farming.

Ecology, behaviour

Flying takes a lot of energy, but for its size and weight, the southern screamer is a very good flier. It can glide for hours. Southern screamers gather in dormitories, where they sleep standing up in shallow water. They can also roost in trees.

If they feel threatened, they fly straight up into a tree with a resounding alarm call. The southern screamer is much appreciated by country folk and other animal species, as it is an excellent lookout that will loudly announce the presence of an intruder.

It has two sharp, curved spurs on each wing, near the joint, which it uses to defend itself and its territory from predators and rivals. These spurs are renewed on a regular basis and are similar to those of the spur-winged goose (Plectropterus gambensis), found in Africa. It can even fight off hunting dogs. Of the three screamer species, the southern screamer is the most widespread.

French name

Kamichi à collier

Scientific name

Chauna torquata

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Birds

Order

Anseriformes

Family

Anhimidae

Size

83 to 95 cm

Weight

4 to 4.5 kg

Life span

Average 7 years; 20 years in captivity

Status

Least concern (IUCN 2012)

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