Species BirdsLimpkin

Limpkin

Aramus guarauna

UncommonBird
Illustration of Limpkin (Aramus guarauna)

The Limpkin is a strange, large wading bird of Florida and the Caribbean whose only relative is the cranes. It has spectacularly expanded its range northward since the 2000s as the invasive apple snail — its primary prey — spread through southeastern wetlands. Its shrill, wailing calls are haunting sounds of Florida marshes and swamps. The brown, white-spotted body is distinctive.

Habitat
Freshwater marshes, swamps, and waterways of Florida and the Southeast
Diet
Almost exclusively apple snails, extracted with its curved bill
How common
Uncommon

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