Trumpeter (2)

trumpeter (2) a S. American bird, Psophia crepitans, related to cranes, bustards, and rails; it and two other close relations in the same genus belong to the order Gruiformes. Trumpeters enjoy a wholesome diet of berries and insects and are appreciated as food, especially when young.

Tubby birds, about 50 cm (20") long in body, with long necks and long legs, trumpeters are gregarious, noisy, as befits their name, living mostly on the ground and nesting in tree holes. They are found mainly in the rain forests north of the Amazon, where destruction of their habitat has endangered their survival. However, they are easily domesticated and may be used to guard barnyard fowls in the same manner as guinea-fowl.