Southern Screamer

The southern screamer is one of the largest birds of southern South America at 83 to 90 cm (33 to 35 in) long and weighing about 4.4 kg (9.7 lb). Their flat wing measures 50 to 57 cm (20 to 22 in), their tail 22 to 26 cm (8.7 to 10.2 in), and their culmen 4.0 to 5.4 cm (1.6 to 2.1 in). Weight is known from one female, which was 4.4 kg (9.7 lb). They are stout bodied with a disproportionately small head and a "chicken-like" grayish brown bill. The sexes have the same plumage. Their head and upperparts are gray with a velvety black "collar" around the base of the neck. Their wings and tail are dusky and the wing has two sharp spurs at its manus. The front of their neck, their breast, and their sides are pale gray faintly mottled and streaked with white. Their belly is unmarked pale gray or white. Their legs and feet are rosy.

The southern screamer is found from the eastern half of Bolivia south into Argentina as far as Buenos Aires Province and east through Paraguay into southwestern Brazil and Uruguay. It has also been documented as a vagrant in southeastern Peru. It inhabits tropical and subtropical wetlands, including lakes, marshes, and flooded meadows with scattered trees.

The southern screamer feeds on the leaves, stems, and seeds of aquatic plants and also on some crops. They usually graze like geese but have been seen digging for food. Flocks of up to about 100 forage together in the non-breeding season.