Species names in all available languages
| Language | Common name |
|---|---|
| Catalan | xahà banyut |
| Croatian | rogati pastiraš |
| Czech | kamiš růžkatý |
| Danish | Anhima |
| Dutch | Anioema |
| English | Horned Screamer |
| English (United States) | Horned Screamer |
| French | Kamichi cornu |
| French (France) | Kamichi cornu |
| German | Hornwehrvogel |
| Icelandic | Hornögld |
| Japanese | ツノサケビドリ |
| Norwegian | horngjeterfugl |
| Polish | skrzydłoszpon rogaty |
| Portuguese (Brazil) | anhuma |
| Portuguese (Portugal) | Anhuma |
| Russian | Рогатая паламедея |
| Serbian | Rogata kreštalica |
| Slovak | anhima rohatá |
| Spanish | Chajá Añuma |
| Spanish (Ecuador) | Gritador Unicornio (Canclón) |
| Spanish (Mexico) | Chajá Unicornio |
| Spanish (Paraguay) | Chajá real |
| Spanish (Peru) | Gritador Unicornio (Camungo) |
| Spanish (Spain) | Chajá añuma |
| Spanish (Uruguay) | Chajá Cornudo |
| Spanish (Venezuela) | Aruco |
| Swedish | hornvärnfågel |
| Turkish | Boynuzlu Figankazı |
| Ukrainian | Паламедея |
Revision Notes
María A. García-Amado revised the account as part of a partnership with Unión Venezolana de Ornitólogos (UVO) and Natalia Piland reviewed. Peter Pyle contributed to the Plumages, Molts, and Structure page, and Guy Kirwan contributed to the Systematics page. August Davidson-Onsgard curated the media. JoAnn Hackos, Daphne R. Walmer, and Robin K. Murie copy-edited the draft.
Anhima cornuta (Linnaeus, 1766)
Definitions
- ANHIMA
- cornuta / cornutus
The Key to Scientific Names
Legend Overview
Horned Screamer Anhima cornuta Scientific name definitions
Version: 2.0 — Published March 22, 2024
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Photos from this Account
Adult
Adult
Adult
Juvenile
Juvenile
Habitat
Horned Screamer.
Note horn; black, fully feathered face; and overall darker body plumage.
Possible confusion species: Northern Screamer (Chauna chavaria).
Note red skin and white feather patches on face, black neck band, and reddish legs.
Possible confusion species: Northern Screamer (Chauna chavaria).
Note black neck band contrasting agains lighter body plumage; red and white patches on the face; and reddish legs.
Horned Screamer.
Note horn, dark feathered face, and dark legs.
Possible confusion species: Southern Screamer (Chauna torquata).
Note reddish bare parts on the face and tarsi, and lighter, gray plumage.
Possible confusion species: Southern Screamer (Chauna torquata).
Note exposed red facial patch, red legs, and gray body plumage.
First Natal Down in Horned Screamers (right), with adult (left).
The first natal down is yellowish but can fade to grayish.
First Natal Down in Horned Screamer.
The first natal down is yellowish but can fade to grayish. Note also the dark iris and bluish-gray orbital ring and bill, found in nestlings.
Second Natal Down in Horned Screamer.
The second natal down appears primarily brownish black above and gray below. Note also the dark iris.
Horned Screamer undergoing Prejuvenile Molt (left) with adult (right).
Juvenile Plumage is similar to the second natal down, being primarily brownish black above. The juvenile head feathering is mostly dark with scattered whitish flecking.
Juvenile Horned Screamer
Juvenile Plumage is like later plumages but washed brown, the head primarily dark and the white markings to the neck and wing coverts reduced and duller. Juvenile head and neck feathers are filamentous due to lower barb densities, and scapulars, upperwing coverts, and remiges are narrower and more rounded or tapered at the tips than those of later plumages. Note also the dull brownish-gray iris, grayish wash to the bill and legs, and lack of a cartilaginous horns on the forecrown or spurs at the bend of the wing.
Juvenile Horned Screamer, initiating Preformative Molt.
The Performative Molt has commenced on the breast, with glossier black formative feathers replacing brownish and filamentous juvenile feathers. Note also the pale yellowish-gray iris.
Formative Horned Screamers.
Formative Plumage averages duller and browner than Definitive Basic Plumage. Body feathering is primarily formative, duller than basic body feathering, and usually with some worn and brownish juvenile feathers retained among the upeprparts and lower underparts. Molt limits occur between glossier replaced formative back feathers and duller and browner retained juvenile upperwing coverts. Look for some birds to replace some inner secondary coverts and possibly 1-2 tertials as well. The iris changes from brownish yellow to pale yellow during the first year, spurs on the wings can be absent, and the cartilaginous horns are narrow and straight.
Formative Horned Screamer.
Juvenile primaries, seconcaries, and rectrices are retained and uniformly narrow, worn, lacking gloss, and not showing molt clines or contrasts of later plumages. Short cartilaginous horns are developing on the forecrown and (visibly) on the right wing.
Formative Horned Screamer.
This individual shows some abraded juvenile breast feathers and uniformly juvenile secondaries. It is possible that it has commenced the Second Prebasic Molt, with three generations of neck and upperpart feathers apparent (juvenile, formative, and second basic), and the tertials also possibly replaced during this molt. Note the straight and thin horn on the forehead.
Second Basic Horned Screamer.
The basic body feathers, back feathers and scapulars (including the longer lower feathers) are black and glossy, contrasting with duller formative and/or juvenile wing coverts and juvenile secondaries. Tertials, outer secondaries, and inner primaries are new and/or being replaced (see ML160845261 of this bird), the second basic feathers contrasting with the browner, narrower, and more worn juvenile middle secondaries and outer primaries. By this age the iris can be tinged orange (in males only?).
Second Basic Horned Screamer.
Outer primaries (p6-p10 are juvenile and worn, the p10 tapered at the tip rather than broad or curved, and at least five middle and/or outer secondaries are retained, contrasting with blacker juvenile inner secondaries. This is a typical extent to the Second Prebasic Molt in species that exhibit Staffelmauser in Definitive Basic Plumage. Short and thin cartilagenous horns are present on the forecrown and short spurs are present at the bend of the wings.
Possible Third Basic Horned Screamer.
Here, 3-4 juvenile middle secondaries appear to be retained, quite worn and brown, contrasting with perhaps two generations of inner and outer secondaries, a pattern that would indicate Third Basic Plumage. By this age the iris can be tinged orange (in males only?). The cartilaginous forecrown horn is still straight and thin.
Definitive Basic Horned Screamer.
Head mostly black, the top of the head variably speckled white; feathers of the nape white tipped black forming a ruff with striking scaled appearance. Upperwing marginal lesser coverts white, forming distinct white triangles on the open inner wings; remaining coverts glossy black to brownish black with variable white bases, inner webs, and/or shaft streaks. Incomplete and/or protracted molts result in mixed generations or levels of wear among fresher and glossier black and more worn and browner feathers. The iris is deep golden yellow, perhaps indicative of a female at this age.
Definitive Basic Horned Screamer.
Basic remiges and rectrices are broader and blacker than juvenile feathers, the tips truncated and the outer primary curved inward at the tip. Remiges typically show 2‒4 sets of basic feathers in Staffelmauser (or stepwise) patterns, the number of sets, defined by a more worn feather distal to a fresher feather, signifying minimum age. Here, sets of basic feathers are present at p1, p2-p4, p5-p7, and p8-p10, indicating a bird in at least Fourth or Fifth Basic Plumage.
Definitive Basic Horned Screamer.
Here, STaffelmauser sets of basic feathers are present at p1-p3, p4-p7, and p8-p10, indicating a bird in at least Fourth Basic Plumage.
Horned Screamer undergoing Definitive Prebasic Molt.
Head and upperpart feathers appear to be largely replaced whereas wing and tail feathers are being replaced. Fresh feathers are glossy black, which contrast substantially with browner and faded, unmolted feathers during this period.
Horned Screamer undergoing Definitive Prebasic Molt.
Horned Screamers undergo Staffelmauser (stepwise) replacement among remiges. Here it appears that molt may be commencing at p6, after a suspension following replacement of p1-p5 (judging by the extent of wear of this inner set). The molt cline from p7 to the the fresher, broad and curved, basic p10 indicates that this is a Definitive Prebasic Molt as opposed to the Second (or possibly Third) Prebasic Molt. Among secondaries, s2 is growing, s9-s10 are older retained basic feathers, and remaining secondaries show mixed generations or molt clines generally indicating convergent replacement toward the center from each end of the tract. Note also that r4-r5 on each side of the tail were retained during the previous prebasic molt.
Horned Screamer undergoing Definitive Prebasic Molt.
Note two waves of replacement among primaries, in Staffelmauser pattern, with p2 and p9 growing synchronously. Staffelmauser results in two or more small gaps in the wing during molt, as opposed to a large gap that may inhibit flight.
Adult Horned Screamers.
Iris color varies from deep yellowish to orange or reddish in adults. It is possible that birds with redder irises, like the bird on the right here, are males. Bills are brownish (as here) to blackish and legs and feet are generally grayish or brownish to brownish yellow.
Adult Horned Screamer.
Some adults, perhaps older males, can have red irises. Note also the black orbital and loral skin, the black bill, and the long cartilaginous horn or spike emanating from the forecrown.
Juvenile Horned Screamer.
Iris color changes from brownish yellow to pale yellow in juveniles and during the first year. Note also that the cartilagenous horn has not yet developed in this individual. The bill (and legs) may more often be tinged bluish or pinkish in younger birds.
Adult Horned Screamers.
An unusual character of the Horned Screamer is the spiny cartilaginous "horn" or spike protruding forward from the forecrown, up to 150 mm in length. The length of the horn may indicate age, with older birds (such as that on the right) developing longer and more sinuate horns. Note also the ivory wing spur on the right-hand bird, its size here also indicating an older individual.
Adult Horned Screamer.
Note the cartilaginous horn on the forehead and spur at the bend of the wing. These appendages are relatively small, along with the yellow eye and basic remiges, perhaps suggesting a bird that is 3-4 years of age.
First-year Horned Screamer.
During juvenile and early (fresh) Formative Plumage, the horn and wing spurs develop, although in this individual the wing spur has not yet appeared.
Habitat; Valle del Cauca, Colombia.
Habitat; Monagas, Venezuela.
Habitat; Guayas, Ecuador.
Habitat; Pará, Brazil
Habitat; Paraná, Brazil
Habitat; São Paulo, Brazil
Flock.
Flock.
Flock.
Adults with Black-bellied Whistling-Duck (Dendrocygna autumnalis).
Adult with Cocoi Heron (Ardea cocoi).
Adults at nest.
Adult at nest.
Adult at nest.
Adult sitting at nest.
Adult sitting at nest.
Egg in nest.
Egg in nest.
Juvenile.
Juvenile.
Juvenile.
Juveniles.
Juveniles.
Juveniles.
Adult with juvenile.
Adult with juvenile.
Adult with juvenile.
Adult with juvenile.
Adult with juvenile.
Adult with juvenile.
Adults on road.
Macaulay Library Photos for Horned Screamer
Top-rated photos submitted to the Macaulay Library via eBird. Note: Our content editors have not confirmed the species identification for these photos.
