Horned Screamer

Overview

The Horned Screamer is a large, distinctive waterbird of tropical South American wetlands, named for the long, thin, forward-curving horn of keratin that projects from its forehead, unique among birds. Its blackish plumage is densely speckled with white on the head and neck, and the belly is white. Despite its bulk, it is capable of strong flight and is often heard before it is seen, given its extremely loud, far-carrying trumpeting calls.

Feather Identification

• Body: Blackish overall, with fine white speckling densely covering the head and neck, giving a salt-and-pepper look.
• Underparts: Belly and undertail coverts white.
• Wings: Dark, with sharp bony spurs at the bend of the wing - a skeletal feature rather than feathering, but diagnostic of screamers as a group.
• Forehead: A long, thin, forward-curving horn of keratin projects from the forehead, unique among birds and not a feather structure.
• Tail: Dark and relatively short.
• Versus similar species: The Southern Screamer lacks the forehead horn and instead shows a gray body with a dark neck collar.

Plumage Notes

Sexes are alike. Juveniles are duller and less speckled, and the forehead horn is shorter, developing further with age. A single complete molt occurs annually.

Habitat & Range

The Horned Screamer is found in tropical South America from Colombia and Venezuela south through the Amazon basin. It inhabits freshwater marshes, swamp forest edges, oxbow lakes, and wet savanna, and is largely resident.

Behavior & Field Notes

Horned Screamers forage mainly on aquatic and marsh vegetation. They are often seen in pairs or small groups perched in trees or standing in open marsh, and give extremely loud, far-carrying trumpeting calls, especially at dawn and dusk. Nests are built on the ground or on floating vegetation near water.