A member of the screamers family (Anhimidae), the crested screamer, Chauna crisrata, has a black and light-colored ring round the neck. It is a large gray bird weighing about about 6.5 lb. The body shape and size of crested screamers resemble that of a goose or turkey. Their head is small, covered with downy feathers and features a short, conical, hooked beak. It is found in the swamps and by the rivers of South America. It's a close relative to the horned screamer (Anhitna cornuta).

Both the male and female make their nest on a huge platform of reeds, sticks, straws and other aquatic plants on the ground near a source of shallow water. The nest is usually built in an area that is inaccessible to most predators and they vigorously defend this territory. The pair may use the same nest or nest area year after year. The pair mates on land, with the male holding the back of the female's neck with his bill. The female lays two to seven white or beige eggs in the nest. The incubation period lasts 40 – 46 days, with the male and female taking turns. At birth, the chicks are precocial and are covered in gray-yellow down feathers. After hatching, the chicks leave the nest and begin to eat on their own. For the next few weeks, the chicks remain close to the nest as their parents watch over, feed or point out food items to them. The chicks fledge after 8 – 10 weeks of parental care and are fully independent at just 12 – 14 weeks of age. Juveniles join non-breeding birds or form their own groups before forming pair bonds in the next breeding season.