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.
Region
South America
Typical Environment
Found widely in south-central South America, including Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, and northern Argentina. It occupies open habitats such as savannas, cerrado, pampas, scrubby grasslands, and pastures, often with scattered shrubs or small trees. The species readily uses agricultural mosaics and ranchlands and often patrols along fencerows and track edges. It avoids dense, continuous forest but frequents woodland edges and gallery forest margins. Although largely terrestrial, it ascends trees to roost and to nest.
Altitude Range
0–1500 m
Climate Zone
Subtropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 2/5
Red-legged seriemas are long-legged, ground-dwelling hunters that prefer to run rather than fly, but they roost in trees at night. They subdue prey by grasping it and violently striking it against the ground, and have been observed using stones to help break open hard items like eggs. Their far-carrying, yelping duet is a hallmark of South American grasslands and can be heard over long distances. Nests are shallow stick platforms placed in shrubs or low trees, typically holding two eggs.
Close-up of Cariama cristata
Temperament
alert and territorial
Flight Pattern
reluctant flier with short rapid wingbeats and brief glides; prefers running
Social Behavior
Usually seen singly, in pairs, or in small family groups that maintain territories. Both adults build a shallow stick nest in low trees or shrubs and typically lay two eggs. Parents share incubation and care for the semi-precocial chicks, which follow adults while learning to forage. Birds roost off the ground in trees for safety.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
A loud, ringing series of yelps and barks, often given as duets at dawn and dusk. The call carries over long distances and serves for territory advertisement and pair bonding.
