Red-legged Seriema
Cariama cristata
Unmistakable large terrestrial raptorial bird. Sandy-colored overall with very long red legs, a long tail, and tufty crest in front of the eyes. Note the strong red bill and large pale eyes with blue eyerings. Strides elegantly through open and lightly wooded savannas but also perches on the top of trees. Usually sings at dawn, an evocative and incredibly loud “kuap-kuap-kuap-kuap” often delivered as a duet for extended periods.
Identification
The red-legged seriema is around 75 to 90 centimetres (30 to 35 in) long and weighs about 1.5 to 2.2 kilograms (3.3 to 4.9 lb), with long legs, necks, and tails. The males are slightly larger than females. It has a greyish-brown plumage, finely barred and vermiculated with dark brown and black; pale brown on the head, neck, and breast; white on belly. The long, broad outer tail has a subterminal black band and a white tip. It has a reddish beak and very long, salmon-coloured legs. The eyes are yellow. Soft feathers emerge from the base of the bill to form a distinctive fan-shaped crest.<p>Many other characteristics are shared with the black-legged seriema (Chunga burmeisteri), the only other living member of its family. Some of these traits are discussed in the Cariamidae article.
Taxonomy
The red-legged seriema was described in 1766 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in the twelfth edition of his Systema Naturae. He coined the binomial name Palamedea cristata. The red-legged seriema is now the only species placed in the genus Cariama that was introduced by the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson in 1760. The specific epithet cristata is Latin for "crested", "plumed" or "tufted". The German naturalist Georg Marcgrave used the Latin word Cariama for the red-legged seriema in his Historia naturalis Brasiliae, which was published in 1648.<p>The name is derived from the Portuguese word seriema, which comes from a Tupi word corresponding to çariama, derived from the words çaria (crest) and am (raised).
- Scientific name
- Cariama cristata
- Authority
- (Linnaeus, 1766)
- Order
- Cariamiformes
- Family
- Cariamidae
- Genus
- Cariama
Range and habitat
The red-legged seriema inhabits most of central and eastern Brazil, Paraguay, eastern and southeastern Bolivia, Uruguay, and northeastern Argentina. It is found at elevations up to 6,600 feet (2,000 m).<p>The red-legged seriema prefers grassland habitat to any other. Though it likes to inhabit lush meadows near rivers, it will not readily move into wetlands or crop fields. It frequents semi-open and fairly dry areas such as thorny scrub and semi-arid woodland regions, savannas and ranchlands, and also hilly grasslands near wooded areas. This species is very typical in Caatinga, Cerrado and Chaco.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Seriemas are wary, territorial, and diurnal birds. Generally, the red-legged seriema is sedentary, although there are reports of temperature-related migrations. It is typically seen singly or in pairs, but occasionally in groups of up to four individuals, apparently families. It usually walks on the ground and can easily run faster than a human in its habitat. It will flee a car on foot at speeds up to 25 km/h (15 mph) before flying.<p>Territorial defense may involve agonistic confrontation between individuals, initially characterized by full vocalization duets followed by short runs and flights towards intruders, alternated with claws and beak attacks. In one conflict between two birds, they jumped at each other feet-first, keeping their balance by flapping.<p>This species typically nests on low trees or bushes, so that adults are able to reach the nest from the ground by short hops or flutters rather than by flying.<p>Red-legged seriemas demonstrate an unusual way of hunting vertebrate prey; they pick the prey up with their beak and repeatedly throw it at the ground until it is stunned or dead.
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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