LIMPKIN
Aramus guarauna

Limpkins walk slowly with a slightly undulating and high-stepping gait which gives the impression of lameness or limping; hence the name. They are large, long-necked, long-legged, wading birds with long, slightly decurved bills - yellowish-orange at the base and dark brown at the tip.  Their plumage is dark brown, spotted and streaked with white.  The sexes are the same, although the male is slightly larger.  Mature Limpkins are approximately 28 inches in height, 26 inches in length and 2½ pounds in weight.  They have a wing span of approximately 40 inches.Because of their long toes, they can stand on floating water plants such as Water Hyacinth and Water Lettuce while foraging for food.  They swim well and fly strongly.  Their appearance falls between a crane and a rail.  They have no close relatives and are generally a solitary species.

Limpkins are found in Florida, along the coasts of Mexico, the West Indies and Central and South America in open fresh water marshes, swamps, rivers, lakes, and ponds.
Their favorite food is the Apple Snail; although, if needed, they will eat fresh water mussels, land snails, insects, frogs, and lizards.  They forage primarily in shallow water and are easier to hear than to see.  Their common vocalizations are loud, wild wails or screams often heard at dawn or at night. 
           
Most nesting in southern Florida occurs from early February through May and in central and northern Florida from late February through June, with double-clutching common.  Courtship feeding of the female by the male imitates an adult feeding a juvenile.  Males defend the breeding territory by chasing male intruders in flight, with ritualistic boundary encounters, and with occasional feet-fighting; females sometimes challenge other females and juveniles.
           
In northern and central Florida, most Limpkin males and some mated females are year-round residents on perennial inviolate territories.  However, some males control poorer quality territories and most females migrate to unknown locations after the breeding season and are absent from the breeding colonies for several months.

Limpkin nests are built on the ground, in dense floating vegetation, in clumps of bulrush in the open water, between cypress knees, in dense riverside tangles of branches and vines, on high branches of Cypress trees, in Cypress tree cavities, or in the tops of Sabal palms.  The nest is constructed of any loose materials that can be pulled from the immediate vicinity and can be comprised of all sticks, all aquatic reeds, a Spanish moss, or any mixture of materials.  Some nest locations are used year after year.  Parental duties are fully shared from nest-building through feeding of the young.

The clutch consists of 5 to 7 eggs.  The eggs are gray-white through buff to deep olive and are marked with light-brown and sometimes purplish-gray speckles and blotches.  Both parents incubate for about 27 days, but only the female incubates at night. The young hatch covered with down, capable of walking, running and swimming.  They follow their parents to a brooding and feeding platform of aquatic vegetation which becomes the new center of activity. They reach adult size at 7 weeks; forage independently at 9 to 10 weeks and leave their parents at about 16 weeks.

Once abundant in Florida, Limpkins were almost eradicated by humans who were hunting for food.  Conversion of wetlands for agriculture, flood control, and development has further contributed to the Limpkins decline in Florida. Due to past hunting and current habitat loss, they are classified as a “Species Special Concern” by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

By Stephanie Canter