About Chauna torquata (Oken, 1816)
The southern screamer (Chauna torquata) is one of the largest bird species found in southern South America. Adults measure 83 to 90 cm (33 to 35 in) in total length, and weigh approximately 4.4 kg (9.7 lb). Their flat wings measure 50 to 57 cm (20 to 22 in), their tails measure 22 to 26 cm (8.7 to 10.2 in), and their culmens measure 4.0 to 5.4 cm (1.6 to 2.1 in). Southern screamers have stout bodies paired with a disproportionately small head, and a grayish brown chicken-like bill. The sexes of this species have identical plumage. Their head and upperparts are gray, with a velvety black collar around the base of the neck. Their wings and tail are dusky in color, and each wing has two sharp spurs at the manus. The front of the neck, breast, and sides are pale gray, faintly mottled and streaked with white. The belly is unmarked pale gray or white, and the legs and feet are rosy pink in color. This species is distributed across 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 recorded as a vagrant in southeastern Peru. Southern screamers live in tropical and subtropical wetland habitats, including lakes, marshes, and flooded meadows that have scattered trees.
