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A gray southern screamer with a black ring around its neck standing in tall dry grass.
Photo: Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Southern Screamer

Chauna torquata

A South American wetland bird, also called the crested screamer, whose call carries up to 3 km and whose wings have sharp spurs.

🦆 Waterfowl
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About the Southern Screamer

Southern screamers live in marshy wetlands of southeastern South America, including Paraguay, Bolivia, northern Argentina, Uruguay and southeastern Peru. They mostly eat grass and water plants, and they graze in groups of up to 100. Their call is so loud it can be heard up to 3 km (about 2 miles) away.[1]

Quick facts

Scientific name
Chauna torquata[1]
Diet
Mostly grass and water plants, rarely insects or small animals.[1]
Habitat
Marshes and wetlands.[1]
Where it lives
Southeastern South America: Paraguay, Bolivia, northern Argentina, Uruguay and southeastern Peru.[1]
Group life
Grazes in groups of up to 100. Pairs form long-lasting bonds.[1]
Babies
2 to 7 white eggs, incubated for 43 to 46 days. Chicks are independent at about 13 weeks.[1]
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN Red List, assessed 2024).[2]

Fun facts

  • A southern screamer's call can be heard up to 3 km (about 2 miles) away.[1]
  • Each wing has two sharp spurs used to fight off predators.[1]
  • Screamers have a layer of tiny air sacs under their skin.[1]

Vocabulary

spur
A sharp, bony point that sticks out from a bird's wing or leg.
air sac
A small pocket of air inside a bird's body.
graze
To feed on grass or other low plants.
wetland
Land that is covered by shallow water some or all of the year, like a marsh or swamp.
predator
An animal that hunts other animals for food.

See it in person

Sources

  1. [1] Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology. “Chauna torquata (southern screamer).” https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Chauna_torquata/ (accessed 2026-10-02)
  2. [2] IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. “Chauna torquata (Southern Screamer).” https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22679729/264995009 (accessed 2026-10-02)

Facts last checked 2026-10-02.

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