The limpkin, also called carrao, courlan, and crying bird, is a large wading bird related to rails and cranes, and the only extant species in the family Aramidae. It is found mostly in wetlands in warm parts of the Americas, from Florida to northern Argentina, but has been spotted as far north as Wisconsin and Southern Ontario. It feeds on molluscs, with the diet dominated by apple snails of the genus Pomacea. Its name derives from its seeming limp when it walks.
Region
Neotropics and southeastern North America
Typical Environment
Occurs from Florida and the southeastern United States through Mexico, the Caribbean, and much of Central and South America to northern Argentina. Prefers freshwater and slow-flowing wetlands including marshes, swamps, floodplains, and shallow lake margins with abundant emergent vegetation. Often found where apple snails are common, especially in weedy edges and among floating vegetation. Also uses canals, rice fields, and managed wetlands when natural habitats are available nearby.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1500 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
The Limpkin is the sole living member of the family Aramidae, a lanky wetland wader specialized for eating large apple snails (Pomacea). Its long, slightly decurved bill is laterally compressed near the tip, helping it extract snails with precision. The species’ piercing, wailing calls carry far over marshes, especially at night and dawn. In recent decades it has expanded northward in the U.S., aided by the spread of apple snails.
An adult Limpkin walks down the bank of Lake Cecile near Kissimmee, FL
Limpkin with an apple snail (Pomacea)
Limpkin searching underwater for food
Juvenile limpkin
Limpkin chicks with parents
Temperament
solitary and territorial
Flight Pattern
labored flight with steady, shallow wingbeats and short glides
Social Behavior
Usually forages alone or in loose spacing, defending feeding areas rich in snails. Pairs form for the breeding season, nesting on platforms over water, in marsh vegetation, or low trees. Both parents incubate and attend the young, which leave the nest soon after hatching and are led to foraging sites.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
A far-carrying, anguished wail or scream, often repeated in sequences that echo over wetlands. Calls are most frequent at dawn, dusk, and night, and can include grunts and rattling notes during close interactions.
Plumage
Overall dark brown plumage heavily streaked and spangled with whitish spots, especially on neck and body.
Diet
Specializes on large freshwater snails, especially apple snails, which it extracts by inserting and twisting its bill to sever the columellar muscle. Also takes mussels, other mollusks, insects, crustaceans, and occasionally small amphibians. Young are fed mostly soft-bodied prey as they learn to handle snails.
Preferred Environment
Feeds in shallow water, along vegetated shorelines, and on floating mats where snails concentrate. Often walks slowly while probing and visually scanning, then uses careful manipulation to open shells.
