Limpkin

Aramus guaraunaOrder: GRUIFORMES Family: Limpkin (Aramidae)

Codes: Common Name: LIMP Scientific Name: ARAGUA ITIS Taxonomic No.: 176197

Breeding Location:

Swamps, Marshes

Breeding Type:

Monogamous, Solitary nester

Breeding Population:

Egg Color:

Olive or buff marked with brown

Number of Eggs:

3 - 8

Incubation Days:

Egg Incubator:

Both sexes

Nest Material:

Marsh vegetation.

Migration:

Nonmigratory

General

Limpkin: Large, unique marsh bird with dark brown body and white streaks on neck, back, wings, and breast. Bill is slightly decurved. Neck and legs are long. Sexes are similar. Juvenile is paler than adult. Vaguely resembles an ibis.

Range and Habitat

Limpkin: Resident locally in southern Georgia and Florida; also found in the American tropics. Preferred habitats include wooded and brushy swamps and marshes.

Breeding and Nesting

Limpkin: Three to eight olive or buff eggs marked with brown are laid in a shallow nest made of marsh vegetation built just above the water; sometimes builds a stick nest in a low tree or bush. Eggs are incubated for 27 days by both parents.

Foraging and Feeding

Limpkin: Eats apple snails, other mollusks, frogs, and insects. Slowly walks along edges of ponds or streams foraging in shallow water.

Vocalization

Limpkin: Makes a loud, rolling wail "kkrrrraaow", mainly at night.

Similar Species

Limpkin: Yellow-crowned and Black-crowned Night-Herons have much shorter legs and necks, and shorter, thicker, straight bills.

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Limpkin

Limpkin: Large, unique marsh bird, dark brown body, white streaks on neck, back, wings, breast. Bill is slightly decurved. Neck and legs are long. Vaguely resembles an ibis. Feeds on freshwater snails, mussels, frogs, crustaceans and insects. Direct flight with quick upstrokes and slow downstrokes.

● Song: "kkrrrraaow"

● Foraging & Feeding: Limpkin: Eats apple snails, other mollusks, frogs, and insects. Slowly walks along edges of ponds or streams foraging in shallow water.

● Breeding & nesting: Limpkin: Three to eight olive or buff eggs marked with brown are laid in a shallow nest made of marsh vegetation built just above the water; sometimes builds a stick nest in a low tree or bush. Eggs are incubated for 27 days by both parents.

● Similar species: Limpkin: Yellow-crowned and Black-crowned Night-Herons have much shorter legs and necks, and shorter, thicker, straight bills.

Flight Pattern

Rapid wing beats followed by short glide.

● Range & Habitat: Limpkin: Resident locally in southern Georgia and Florida; also found in the American tropics. Preferred habitats include wooded and brushy swamps and marshes.

^BreedingMonogamous, Solitary nester

^Population

^MigrationNonmigratory

^Weight38.4 Ounces

Breast

The upper front part of a bird.

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America

Limpkin

Breeding Location:

Breeding Type:

Breeding Population:

Egg Color:

Number of Eggs:

Incubation Days:

Egg Incubator:

Nest Material:

Migration:

Recommended Products:

General

Range and Habitat

Breeding and Nesting

Foraging and Feeding

Vocalization

Similar Species

Limpkin

Flight Pattern