by Jenn Zamorsky

Created on: October 31, 2008

The order Anseriformes consists of over 150 living species, being further divided into 3 distinct families. All of the species within the order Anseriformes are waterfowl, and have some form of webbed feet. All birds within the species began quite similar, but have developed their own adaptions regarding habitats, eating patterns, and appearance. Although these adaptions make them quite distinguishable between species, they all have water in common. All Anseriformes live near or in water and raise most of their babies in the same environment. The differences come in regards to how they build their homes and how they raise their babies.

The first family of Anseriformes is the Anhimidae, or the Screamers. These largy, bulky birds can only be found in South America, all the way from Venezuala to Argentina. The Screamers are actually a little bit fun to look at once you get the chance. They have small heads, large bodies, long legs and very big feet! Also, they have defensive spurs on their wings that are used to protect their territory or mates. These spurs have been known to rip off the wings during a fight, but grow back eventually. The Screamers only endure a partial molt to their bodies, instead of the more common full molt. Naturally, the Screamers live in open areas usually near marshes or ponds. They feed on mostly water plants. Screamers usually lay between 2 and 7 eggs; as soon as the babies hatch, they can run around and enjoy swimming even more. Their ability to fly throughout the entire year comes in handy when finding new places to inhabit or evading predators and hunters. And hunters are something for the Screamers to worry about; the Southern Screamer has been known to be quite the pest by raiding farmers crops. Other than the Southern Screamer, there is the Horned Screamer and the Northern Screamer. The Northern Screamer is actually very rare and is not allowed to be hunted.

The second family of the Anseriformers is the Anseranatidae, or the Magpie Goose. The Magpie Goose is found only in Australia and New Guinea and lives in or near floodplains and swamps. These birds only have partially webbed feet attached to their yellow legs and a large, black and white body. Their black and white body only goes through a gradual molt. The males are quite a bit larger than the females, and the males are known to sometimes mate with more than one female. The Magpie Goose is known as a colonial breeder, and they like to make their nests on the ground in protective

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