Red-legged Seriema

The red-legged seriema is a mostly predatory, terrestrial bird of South America, found from central and eastern Brazil through eastern Bolivia and Paraguay to Uruguay and central Argentina. It prefers grassland and frequents thorny scrub, savanna, ranchland and semi-arid woodland. It is 75 to 90 centimetres long, with long legs, neck and tail, a reddish beak, salmon-coloured legs and a fan-shaped crest at the base of the bill. Wary, territorial and diurnal, it is usually seen alone or in pairs. It forages by walking steadily, taking snakes, rodents and other small vertebrates, and can easily outrun a human, fleeing a car on foot at up to 25 km/h before taking flight.

About the red-legged seriema

The red-legged seriema is a tall, long-legged, mostly predatory ground bird of South American grasslands. It is one of only two living seriemas, along with the black-legged seriema, in the family Cariamidae, which now sits in its own order, Cariamiformes. It lives in open country from central Brazil to central Argentina.

Cariama cristata was described by Carl Linnaeus in 1766, and it is the only species in its genus. Its species name is Latin for "crested." The word "seriema" comes through Portuguese from a Tupi word meaning roughly "raised crest," and the bird is also known as the crested cariama or crested seriema. Seriemas were once placed in the order Gruiformes, but they have since been moved to a separate order of their own.

This is a big bird for a ground-dweller. It stands on very long legs and measures 75 to 90 cm (30–35 in) from bill to tail, weighing 1.5 to 2.2 kg (3.3–4.9 lb). Males are slightly larger than females. Among the ground-dwelling birds of the Neotropics, only the rheas, such as the greater rhea, are larger.

The plumage is subtle and well camouflaged. The body is grayish-brown, finely barred and patterned with dark brown and black, while the head, neck and breast are pale brown and the belly is white. The long, broad tail has a black band near the end and a white tip.

The colorful parts are on the head and legs. The bill is reddish, the eyes are yellow, and the very long legs are salmon-red, which gives the species its name. The most distinctive feature is a fan-shaped tuft of soft feathers that rises from the base of the bill, like a permanent crest over the forehead.

Behavior and diet

Seriemas are wary, territorial and diurnal birds. Red-legged seriemas usually stay in one area year-round, though some seasonal movements tied to temperature have been reported. They are seen alone or in pairs, and sometimes in family groups of up to four.

Much of their life is spent on foot. A red-legged seriema walks steadily through grass and low vegetation looking for food, and it can easily outrun a person in its habitat. When chased by a car, it may run at up to 25 km/h (16 mph) before finally taking flight.

It is an omnivore that seems to eat whatever is most plentiful. The main foods are arthropods such as grasshoppers, beetles, ants and spiders, along with insect larvae, lizards, amphibians, snakes, rodents and other small vertebrates. It also eats some corn and other crops, wild fruit and tree gum, and it likely takes the eggs and chicks of other birds.

Its hunting technique for larger prey is unusual. The seriema grabs a small animal in its bill and repeatedly slams it against the ground until it is stunned or dead, then tears it apart with its bill and claws. Its cryptic plumage helps it stay hidden while foraging.

The red-legged seriema is best known for its voice. The full song, given mainly at dawn and less often at dusk, has been described as a cross between the yapping of a young dog and the clucking of turkeys. At the loudest point, the bird bends its neck so far back that its head touches its back. Mates and even two-week-old chicks join in, and family members often take turns or call at once. The song can be heard several kilometers away.

Territorial disputes start with loud duets, followed by short runs and flights at the intruder and then attacks with the claws and bill. In one recorded fight, two birds leapt at each other feet-first, flapping their wings to keep their balance.

Seriemas are monogamous. Breeding follows the rainy season, so timing varies: February to July in northeastern Brazil, September to January in central Brazil, and November to December in Argentina. In courtship, the male spreads his wings sideways to show the bold pattern of his flight feathers, then struts in front of the female with his crest raised and offers her food.

Nests are built in low trees or bushes, close enough to the ground that the adults can reach them with short hops instead of flying. The female lays 2 to 3 white, lightly spotted eggs, and both parents incubate for 24 to 30 days. Chicks hatch covered in long, light brown down and weigh 40 to 60 g (1.4–2.1 oz). They can leave the nest at about 14 days and reach adult plumage at 4 to 5 months.

Life in the nest is not always gentle. In 2018, a camera at a nest in Brazil recorded an adult killing one of three nestlings, eating part of it and letting the other two feed on the carcass, the first such case documented in the wild. Few broods raise three young, and researchers suggest a third chick may serve as a food reserve in hard times.

Range and habitat

The red-legged seriema lives across much of central South America. Its range covers most of central and eastern Brazil, Paraguay, eastern and southeastern Bolivia, Uruguay, and northeastern and central Argentina south to La Pampa. It occurs from the lowlands up to about 2,000 m (6,600 ft).

Grassland is its preferred habitat. It likes lush meadows near rivers but avoids moving into wetlands or crop fields. It is also common in semi-open, fairly dry country, including thorny scrub, semi-arid woodland, savanna, ranchland and hilly grassland near woods. It is a typical bird of three major South American landscapes: the Caatinga, the Cerrado and the Chaco.

In parts of its range, farmers keep seriemas as guard animals to protect poultry from predators and sometimes to warn of human intruders.

Red-legged seriema vs black-legged seriema

The black-legged seriema, Chunga burmeisteri, is the only other living seriema. The two species overlap locally but tend to use different habitats.

Conservation status

The red-legged seriema is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, in a 2024 assessment by BirdLife International. It is widely distributed across South America and is a typical bird of the Caatinga, Cerrado and Chaco.

It also uses ranchland and other semi-open country shaped by people, and farmers often keep it as a guard animal for their poultry.