Chauna chavaria (also known as the Northern Screamer or Black-necked Screamer) is a rather large bird that lives in northwestern Venezuela and northern Colombia. They get their name from their voice. The Northern Screamer is one of the loudest birds in the world. They are herbivores that feed on aquatic plants and have a lifespan on average of 5 years.  Zoos don’t normally show this bird due to the fact that they are near threatened.

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This species of bird has a grey crown and rugged crest with a broad white strip across their throat and sides of their  face.  They also have blackish-grey underparts with a black neck and large red legs with unwebbed feet.  Their  wings have sharp spurs on the bend and have a wingspan on average of 5.5 feet.  Their average length is 35 inches long and they usually weigh around 9 pounds.

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Northern Screamers are restricted to lowland marshes, swamps, lagoons, the banks of slow flowing rivers, and seasonally flooded alluvial plains.  Their nest is a large mass of vegetation built up from the water.  They do well in their habitat because they can swim well and their feet help grasp plants while walking in water.  Their population is near threatened with about 2,500 to 9,999 of its kind. Some of its threats are: drainage of wetlands, collection of their eggs, captivity as pets, illegal hunting, construction of pipelines and roads, and pollution.  

Northern Screamers are herbivorous animals.  They feed on leaves, stems, flowers, and roots of aquatic plants.  Their small, grey, hooked beak is used to eat these things.  Sometimes the Northern Screamer digs for unknown food sources with its sharp claws.

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Chauna chavaria is an almost rare bird.  They lay 2 to 7 eggs at a time.  These birds are generally observed singly, in pairs, or in small groups perched on bushes or trees.  Their chicks leave the nest after only a few days of brooding.  The Northern Screamer is an interesting bird!

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Author: Haley S

Published: 02/2013

 

Sources: “Northern Screamer” Wikipedia. 2/19/14 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Screamer. “Chauna Chavaria” Birdlife.org. 2/17/14 http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/speciesfactsheet.php?id=344. “Chauna Chavaria” Eol.org. 2/18/14 http://eol.org/pages/1048547/overview. “Northern Screamer” Neotropical.birds.cornell.edu. 2/19/14 http://neotropical.birds.cornell.edu/portal/species/overview?p_p_spp=64116. “Screamers” Encyclopedia of Birds (2007) vol. 4 International Masters Publishers China

 

Photo Credit: Northern screamer, side profile

© Kenneth W. Fink / www.ardea.com

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