Screamer

Screamer

Taxobox
name = Screamers



image_width = 240px
image_caption = Crested Screamers ("Chauna torquata")
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Aves
subclassis = Neornithes
infraclassis = Galloanserae
ordo = Anseriformes
familia = Anhimidae
familia_authority = Stejneger, 1885
subdivision_ranks = Genera
subdivision = "Anhima"
"Chauna"

The Screamers are a small family of birds, the Anhimidae. For a long time they were thought to be related to the Galliformes because of similar bills, but they are truly related to ducks (family Anatidae), most closely to the Magpie-goose (which some DNA evidence suggestsFact|date=February 2007 are closer to screamers than to ducks).

The three species occur only in South America, ranging from Venezuela to northern Argentina. They are large, bulky birds, with a small downy head, long legs and large feet which are only partially webbed. They have large spurs on their wings which are used in fights over mates and territorial disputes, these can break off in the breast of other screamers, and are regularly renewed. Unlike ducks they have a partial moult, and are able to fly throughout the yearcite book |editor=Forshaw, Joseph|author= Todd, Frank S.|year=1991|title=Encyclopaedia of Animals: Birds|publisher= Merehurst Press|location=London|pages= 87|isbn= 1-85391-186-0] . They live in open areas and marshes with some grass and feed on water plants. One species, the Southern Screamer, is considered a pest as it raids crops and competes with farm birds.

Screamers lay between 2 to 7 white eggs, with four or five being typical. The young, like those of most Anseriformes, can run as soon as they are hatched. The chicks are usually raised in or near water as they can swim better than they can run. This helps them to avoid predators. Like ducks, screamer chicks imprint early in life. This, coupled with their unfussy diet makes them amenable to domestication. They make excellent watchdogs due to their loud screams when encountering anything new and potentially threatening.

It is uncertain whether the three screamer species are endangered or declining. They are seldom hunted, in spite of their conspicuous nature, because their flesh has a spongy texture and is riddled with air-sacs, making it highly unpalatable. The main threats are habitat destruction and increased intensification of agriculture, but the extent of this is unknown.

pecies

* Horned Screamer, "Anhima cornuta"
* Crested Screamer or Southern Screamer, "Chauna torquata"
* Black-necked Screamer or Northern Screamer, "Chauna chavaria"

References

Bibliography

* Carboneras, C. (1992). Family Anhimidae (Screamers). Pp.528-535 in; del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A. & Sargatal, J. eds. Handbook of the Birds of the World, Vol 1, Ostrich to Ducks. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. ISBN 8487334091


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Screamer — серия аркадных гоночных игр для IBM PC совместимых персональных компьютеров; игры серии вышли в 1995 году. Игры серии: Screamer Screamer 2 Screamer Rally Screamer 4x4 Работала на 486 и PCI видеокарте. Нельзя было ехать против направления гонок …   Википедия

  • Screamer — Scream er (skr[=e]m [ e]r), n. (Zo[ o]l.) Any one of three species of South American birds constituting the family {Anhimid[ae]}, and the suborder {Palamede[ae]}. They have two spines on each wing, and the head is either crested or horned. They… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Screamer —   [englisch, skriːmə(r)], Verzerrer …   Universal-Lexikon

  • screamer — [skrēm′ər] n. 1. a person who screams ☆ 2. Slang a sensational headline 3. Printing Slang an exclamation point 4. any of a primitive family (Anhimidae) of South American birds (order Anseriformes) having long toes and a bill like a chicken s …   English World dictionary

  • screamer — In standard English screamer variously denotes: 1. one who screams; 2. a type of bird; 3. a story that arouses screams of laughter; 4. a very funny person or thing; 5. an outstanding specimen of anything and, 6. (in the US) a sensational headline …   Australian idioms

  • Screamer — Este artículo o sección necesita referencias que aparezcan en una publicación acreditada, como revistas especializadas, monografías, prensa diaria o páginas de Internet fidedignas. Puedes añadirlas así o avisar …   Wikipedia Español

  • screamer — /skree meuhr/, n. 1. a person or thing that screams. 2. Informal. something or someone causing screams of excitement, laughter, or the like. 3. Print. Slang. an exclamation point. 4. Journalism. a. a sensational headline. b. banner (def. 7). Cf.… …   Universalium

  • screamer — 1. n. a newspaper headline. □ Did you see the screamer in the paper today? “The King Died.” □ I never read screamers. 2. n. an exclamation point. (Printing.) □ Put a screamer at the end of the line. □ …   Dictionary of American slang and colloquial expressions

  • Screamer — Bleifuss (engl. Originaltitel: Screamer) war der Name einer Reihe von PC Rennspielen, die der italienische Entwickler Milestone von 1995 bis 1997 über Virgin Interactive veröffentlichte. Zwei weitere Titel mit dem Namen Bleifuss erschienen… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • screamer — /ˈskrimə / (say skreemuh) noun 1. someone or something that screams. 2. Colloquial someone or something causing screams of astonishment, mirth, etc. 3. Printing Colloquial an exclamation mark. 4. Australian Rules Colloquial a very high mark: to… …  

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”