Conservation and Management

The Horned Screamer is considered a species of Least Concern by the IUCN, because it does not conform to any of the three criteria for concern (i.e., small range, very fast rate of decrease, or small population size) (66 BirdLife International (2023) Species factsheet: Anhima cornuta. Downloaded from http://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/horned-screamer-anhima-cornuta on 29/11/2023. Close ). This should not; however, limit concern and attention for the future of the species given that such a conspicuous and large species with specific habitat preferences could be severely threatened by increased human activity (67 Allen, R.P. (1962). Birds of the Caribbean. Thames and Hudson, London. Close , 61 Gonzalez, J. A. (1999). Effects of harvesting of waterbirds and their eggs by native people in the northeastern Peruvian Amazon. Waterbirds 22 (2):217-224. Close , 60 Kear, J., Editor (2005). Ducks, Geese and Swans. Volume 1: General chapters, and Species accounts (Anhima to Salvadorina). Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ), as is evidenced by the extirpation of this species from Trinidad and likely much of the Guianas (see Historical Changes to Distribution).

Habitat Loss and Degradation

Deforestation is probably the biggest threat to the species (68 Carboneras, C. (1992). Family Anatidae (ducks, geese and swans). In Handbook of the Birds of the World, Volume 1 (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, and J. Sargatal, Editors), Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain. pp. 536–628. Close , 60 Kear, J., Editor (2005). Ducks, Geese and Swans. Volume 1: General chapters, and Species accounts (Anhima to Salvadorina). Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ). The deforestation of the Amazon is most closely linked to agriculture and logging. Alava et al. (42 Alava, J. J., M. Costantino, E. Astudillo, X. Arosemena, and M. Peñafiel. (2009). Population, seasonality and conservation threats of the Horned Screamer (Anhima cornuta) in southwestern Ecuador. Waterbirds 32: 81-86. https://doi.org/10.1675/063.032.0109 Close ) found that the Horned Screamer was much less abundant in areas that had been degraded by farming and that the population density of screamers was inversely correlated with the presence of cattle.

Hunting and Trapping

Hunting is also a known threat (69 Herklots, G. A. C. (1961) The birds of Trinidad and Tobago. Collins, London, United Kingdom. Close , 67 Allen, R.P. (1962). Birds of the Caribbean. Thames and Hudson, London. Close , 61 Gonzalez, J. A. (1999). Effects of harvesting of waterbirds and their eggs by native people in the northeastern Peruvian Amazon. Waterbirds 22 (2):217-224. Close ).

No information available.