Limpkin

Aramus guaraunaOrder: GRUIFORMES Family: Limpkin (Aramidae)

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

Birdman Mel's Backyard Tips

Overview

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.

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.

Topo Map: Long-legged-like Body

Listen to Call

Voice Text

"kkrrrraaow"

Interesting Facts

The Limpkin is named for its limping-like flight with its dangling legs and jerky wing beats.

The only species in its family, it is considered most closely related to rails and cranes.

It was once very common in Florida, but due to the decline of its primary food source, the Florida Apple Snail, it is now listed as a SSC (species of special concern).

A group of limpkins are collectively known as a "hobbling" of limpkins.

Bird Term Glossary

Author

Gary Owen Dick

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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

● 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

Long-legged-like Body

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

Birdman Mel's Backyard Tips

Overview

Range and Habitat

Topo Map: Long-legged-like Body

Listen to Call

Voice Text

Interesting Facts

Bird Term Glossary

Author

Related Birds

Limpkin

Flight Pattern