Bird · GBIF taxon 2474337
Limpkin
Aramus guaraunaAlso known as Carrao, Courlan, Crying Bird
Limpkins stride through sunny marshes and swamps, probing mud with a uniquely curved bill engineered to extract apple snails from their shells. Piercing, mournful wails ring out across southern wetlands at dusk, earning these birds historic local names like crying bird. Streaked with white flecks over chocolate-brown plumage, these solitary foragers weave loose bowl nests among marsh vegetation or low branches.
Wading BirdWetlandMolluscivore
1 / 7—observations
—countries
—peak records
Least ConcernConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXLeast ConcernRed List categories, explained →
Diet & prey
- Apple Snail
- Freshwater Mussel
- Crayfish
Predators
- American Alligator
- Raccoon
- Red-tailed Hawk
ThreatsWetland degradation, water pollution, and fluctuations in native apple snail populations.
HabitatsFreshwater marshes, forested swamps, lake margins, and flooded agricultural fields.
Life span8 to 12 years in the wild.
Size / weightNot available
Classification
- FamilyAramidae
- SpeciesAramus guarauna
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Safe to observe at a normal distance.
Responsible observation
- Listen for Calls: Recognize their loud, mournful wailing calls echoing across marshes near dusk or dawn.
- Watch from Edges: Observe quiet shoreline spots to catch them carefully extracting snails from shells.
Primary Prey 
Competitor Giles Laurent / CC BY-SA 4.0 · cc-by-sa
Close Relative JeffreyGammon / CC BY 4.0 · cc-by
Close Relative (c) Forest Botial-Jarvis, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Forest Botial-Jarvis · cc-by
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