# Southern Screamer (*Chauna torquata*) The Southern Screamer is a large bird known for its loud calls and striking appearance. It has a fluffy body and long legs, making it look quite unique among birds. - **Category:** [Birds](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/bird) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Habitat:** Wetlands ![Southern Screamer](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/At_Possa_da_Londra_in_the_Brazilian_Patanal_%28105m%29_-_the_weird_looking_Southern_Screamer_%28Chauna_torquata%29_-_%2824213807344%29.jpg&width=800) Photo: Murray Foubister, CC BY-SA 2.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:At_Possa_da_Londra_in_the_Brazilian_Patanal_%28105m%29_-_the_weird_looking_Southern_Screamer_%28Chauna_torquata%29_-_%2824213807344%29.jpg) ## Appearance The Southern Screamer is a large, grey-bodied bird with a white belly and a black head and neck. It has distinctive red skin around its eyes and two sharp, bone-like spurs on each wing, making it look quite formidable. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Animalia - **Phylum:** Chordata - **Class:** Aves - **Order:** Anseriformes - **Family:** Anhimidae - **Genus:** Chauna ## Interesting facts - Screamers often stand on one leg, like flamingos, to save energy! - Their bones are hollow with air sacs, making them incredibly light! - They build floating nests in wetlands to protect their eggs from predators. - They often stay with the same mate for their entire lives! ## Special abilities - **Trumpet Call:** Southern Screamers can make ear-splitting calls because of specialized vocal cords, helping them warn others of danger. - **Winged Warriors:** Southern Screamers have two sharp wing spurs that they use like daggers to defend themselves from predators. - **Built to Float & Fly:** Southern Screamers have air sacs in their bones that help them float easily and make them lightweight for flying. - **Swift Strider:** Southern Screamers can run incredibly fast on strong legs, helping them escape danger when on the ground. ## Measurements & details - **Length:** 70-95 cm - **Wingspan:** 150-170 cm - **Weight:** 2-5 kg - **Lifespan:** 10-15 years - **Speed:** 50 km/h - **Clutch Size:** 2-7 - **Incubation:** 43-46 days ## Diet & Feeding They enjoy munching on water plants, seeds, and sometimes tiny insects or worms. - **Age differences:** Young chicks may eat more insects for protein. - **Primary Foods:** aquatic plants, leaves, seeds, grasses, insects, small invertebrates - **Foraging Method:** Foraging ## Ecological connections - **Eaten by:** Broad-snouted Caiman (*Caiman latirostris*) — Caimans may prey on eggs or young chicks near the water. - **Eaten by:** [Crested Caracara](https://www.snappit.app/explore/crested-caracara) (*Caracara plancus*) — Caracaras sometimes snatch eggs or vulnerable chicks from nests. - **Eats:** [Rice](https://www.snappit.app/explore/rice) (*Oryza sativa*) — They graze on rice plants in paddies, sometimes causing agricultural damage. ## Traits - [Feathered](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/feathered): Feathered describes animals, primarily birds, possessing a covering of feathers. - [Social](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/social): Social animals live in organized groups, cooperating for survival benefits such as foraging, defense, and raising offspring. - [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors. - [Herbivorous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/herbivorous): This trait characterizes organisms whose diet consists entirely or primarily of plant material. - [Wetland](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/wetland): This habitat trait identifies species found in wetlands, which are areas of land saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally, including marshes, swamps, and bogs. - [Diurnal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/diurnal): Diurnal animals are primarily active during daylight hours, typically resting or sleeping at night. - [Speedster](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/speedster): This trait identifies organisms that exhibit exceptional swiftness in movement for hunting, escape, or travel. - [Threatened](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/threatened): Threatened status denotes a species likely to become endangered in the foreseeable future without effective conservation interventions. ## Collections - [Birds](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/birds) ## Safety **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low Enjoy watching birds from a distance and don't try to touch them. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Southern Screamer? Compare the silhouette, bill shape, tail length, wing bars and markings around the eyes. The same small brown bird at your feeder can look quite different in breeding plumage, winter plumage or its first year. Bird Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How long is Southern Screamer? 70-95 cm ### What is Southern Screamer's wingspan? 150-170 cm ### How much does Southern Screamer weigh? 2-5 kg ### How long does Southern Screamer live? 10-15 years ### How fast can Southern Screamer move? 50 km/h ### What does Southern Screamer eat? They enjoy munching on water plants, seeds, and sometimes tiny insects or worms. ### Where is Southern Screamer usually found? Wetlands ## More Birds - [Black-crowned Night Heron](https://www.snappit.app/explore/black-crowned-night-heron) (*Nycticorax nycticorax*) - [Anna's Hummingbird](https://www.snappit.app/explore/annas-hummingbird) (*Calypte anna*) - [Great Egret](https://www.snappit.app/explore/great-egret) (*Ardea alba*) - [Blue Jay](https://www.snappit.app/explore/blue-jay) (*Cyanocitta cristata*) --- Source: [Southern Screamer: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/southern-screamer)