Seriemas | Cariamidae

Seriema's | Seriemas | Chuñas

The family has two species, both of which occur in this guide: the Red-legged Seriema, which lives in eastern Bolivia in open savanna, cerrado, dry scrub and grassland with scattered trees, and the Black-legged Seriema of the Chaco region. Seriemas are tall, slender ground birds of about ninety centimetres, with long legs, a long neck and a long tail. The Red-legged Seriema is greyish brown and finely streaked, with red legs, a red bill and an erect tuft of feathers at the base of the bill. They prefer walking and running to flying, though they roost in trees at night. The food consists of large insects, lizards, snakes, small rodents and sometimes plant material; larger prey is beaten against the ground or a stone with the bill. The second toe bears an enlarged claw that can be raised. Pairs give a loud, yelping duet, mainly in the morning, that carries for kilometres. The nest is a platform of sticks low in a tree or shrub, usually with two eggs. Seriemas are regarded as the last living relatives of the extinct predatory terror birds that once roamed South America.