- Cariama cristata
Identification
75–90 cm (29½-35½ in)
- Loose crest on forehead
- Red bill
- Long pinkish-red legs
- Longish white-tipped tail
Distribution
South America: central and eastern Brazil to Bolivia, Paraguay and central Argentina.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species[1].
Habitat
Pastures, open grass fields, plantations, cerrados, caatingas.
Behaviour
Primitive and ungainly, the Red-legged Seriema bears a certain resemblance to the similarly long-legged, long-tailed secretary bird, with which it shares a propensity for open, savannalike habitats. This South American bird, however, is much shyer than the African Secretarybird, more terrestrial in its habits, and not closely related.
Diet
It hunts small lizards, insects, and other prey, which it strikes with its feet.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2017. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2017, with updates to August 2017. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Red-legged Seriema. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 29 April 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Red-legged_Seriema
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1
