#anhima cornuta

HORNED SCREAMER
Anhima cornuta
©Joel Sartore

How did I not know this bird existed?

It’s a wetlands bird endemic to tropical South America. What makes it unique, is that it grows a bony cornified (keratinized) spike from it’s head, which frequently breaks and regrows, and it has a spur used for fighting, growing out of each wing.

©Pat ODonnellRainforest Expeditions

The horned screamer is a massive 84–95 cm (33–37.5 in) long, 3.5 kg (7.7 lb) bird, with a small chicken-like bill. The upper parts, head, and breast are black, with white speckles on the crown, throat and wing coverts.

There is a long spiny structure projecting forward from the crown. This structure is unique among birds and is not derived from a feather but is a structure that is loosely attached to the skull and grows continuously. This gives this species its ‘horned’ name.

It has very long and lanky legs and three large toes in each. The belly and under wing coverts are white. It has two sharp spurs on its wings and feet which are only partially webbed.

The horned screamer’s call, as its name suggests, is a very loud echoing sound. source

©Bill Bouton from San Luis Obispo, CA, USA Mostly they look like unicorn pheasants, more than the Anseriformes group they belong to which includes swans, geese and ducks.