Red-legged Seriema

Cariama cristata

Least ConcernUncommonInvertebratesShrublandPlatform nestLarge · 1.4 kg

About the Red-legged Seriema

The red-legged seriema, also known as the crested cariama and crested seriema, is a mostly predatory terrestrial bird in the seriema family (Cariamidae), included in the Gruiformes in the old polyphyletic circumscription but recently placed in a distinct order: Cariamiformes.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

ID tip

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. Voice: Full vocalization by the seriema is mainly done at dawn and to a lesser extent, at dusk. It can also occur irregularly at other times of day. The song has a quality described as "a cross between 'the serrated bark of a young dog and the clucking of turkeys'". At the loudest part of the song, the bird has its neck bent so its head is touching its back.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Where it lives

Regular range

When to see it

Peak activity in October · a resident species across most of its range

Easily confused with

Learn the Red-legged Seriema for real

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