Screamers: Anhimidae

Screamers remain in their breeding range year-round and are somewhat social. Outside the breeding season, they tend to flock together. And though they swim well, screamers mostly live on land. Their long toes make them able to walk on aquatic vegetation and floating mats. Screamers got their name because of their very loud vocalizations.

Screamers are solitary nesters that build their nests out of vegetation, weeds, and sticks on or near the water. The female lays two to seven spotted eggs, and incubation (warming sufficient for hatching) lasts forty-two to forty-five days. Parents take turns incubating, and the male helps care for newborns. Chicks leave the nest within a few days. Babies first fly at ten to twelve weeks, and they no longer require parental care around twelve to fourteen weeks.

Screamers are seasonally monogamous (muh-NAH-guh-mus; having just one mate each year). The expected life span in the wild is eight to ten years. Predators include skunks, weasels, and red fox.