Red-legged Seriema
Encyclopedia
The Red-legged Seriema or Crested Cariama (Cariama cristata) is a mostly predatory terrestrial bird
in the seriema family
(Cariamidae), included in the "Gruiformes
" in the old paraphyletic circumscription, but increasingly placed in a distinct order
Cariamae
(along with three extinct families). The Red-legged Seriema inhabits grassland
s from Brazil
south of the Amazon
to Uruguay
and northern Argentina
. The area over which it occurs is estimated at 5.9 million km², though the bird is not found everywhere in this region of course. The species is absent from the Mata Atlântica
and planalto
uplands along the coast of Brazil.
Many other characteristics are shared with the Black-legged Seriema
(Chunga burmeisteri), the only other living member of its family
. Some of these traits are discussed in the Cariamidae article.
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. Both members of a pair as well as young down to the age of two weeks sing; often one member of a family starts a song just as another finishes, or two sing simultaneously. The song can be heard several kilometres away; in Emas National Park
, Brazil, in 1981–1982, observers often heard four Red-legged Seriemas or groups singing at once.
The full song consists of three sections:
s or crop
fields. It is usually seen singly or in pairs, but sometimes in groups up to four, apparently families. It typically walks on the ground and can easily run faster than a human in its habitat. It will flee a car on foot at speeds up to 25 km/h (15 mi/hr) before flying.
In one conflict between two birds, they jumped at each other feet-first, keeping their balance by flapping.
This species nests on the ground or in a bush or tree up to 3 m above the ground. In the latter case adults jump into the nest rather than fly.
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
in the seriema family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
(Cariamidae), included in the "Gruiformes
Gruiformes
The Gruiformes are an order containing a considerable number of living and extinct bird families, with a widespread geographical diversity. Gruiform means "crane-like"....
" in the old paraphyletic circumscription, but increasingly placed in a distinct order
Order (biology)
In scientific classification used in biology, the order is# a taxonomic rank used in the classification of organisms. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, family, genus, and species, with order fitting in between class and family...
Cariamae
Cariamae
Cariamae is a suggested name for a group of primarily flightless birds that have been around for 63 million years. The group includes the families Cariamidae, Phorusrhacidae, Bathornithidae, Idiornithidae and Ameghinornithidae...
(along with three extinct families). The Red-legged Seriema inhabits grassland
Grassland
Grasslands are areas where the vegetation is dominated by grasses and other herbaceous plants . However, sedge and rush families can also be found. Grasslands occur naturally on all continents except Antarctica...
s from Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
south of the Amazon
Amazon Rainforest
The Amazon Rainforest , also known in English as Amazonia or the Amazon Jungle, is a moist broadleaf forest that covers most of the Amazon Basin of South America...
to Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
and northern Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
. The area over which it occurs is estimated at 5.9 million km², though the bird is not found everywhere in this region of course. The species is absent from the Mata Atlântica
Mata Atlântica
The Atlantic Forest is a region of tropical and subtropical moist forest, tropical dry forest, tropical savanna, semi deciduous forest and mangrove forests which extends along the Atlantic coast of Brazil from Rio Grande do Norte state in the north to Rio Grande do Sul state in the south, and...
and planalto
Planalto
-Buildings:* Palácio do Planalto, Brasília, the official seat of the President of Brazil.** The staff and offices of the Executive branch of the Brazilian Government, by metonymy-Places:*Planalto, Bahia *Planalto, Paraná *Planalto, Rio Grande do Sul...
uplands along the coast of Brazil.
Description
It is 75 to 90 cm (30 to 36 in) long and weighs about 1.5 kg, with a fairly long neck, tail, and legs. The plumage is medium brown above with black markings; pale brown on the head, neck, and breast; and white on the belly. The tail has a black band near the tip and a white tip. The beak and legs are red, and the eyes are yellow. Soft feathers emerge from the base of the bill to form a fan-shaped crest.Many other characteristics are shared with the Black-legged Seriema
Black-legged Seriema
The Black-legged Seriema is one of two species of seriemas in the Cariamidae family. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, and Paraguay. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests and subtropical or tropical dry shrubland.-External links:* VIREO...
(Chunga burmeisteri), the only other living member of its family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
. Some of these traits are discussed in the Cariamidae article.
The song
Bird song
Bird vocalization includes both bird calls and bird songs. In non-technical use, bird songs are the bird sounds that are melodious to the human ear. In ornithology and birding, songs are distinguished by function from calls.-Definition:The distinction between songs and calls is based upon...
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. Both members of a pair as well as young down to the age of two weeks sing; often one member of a family starts a song just as another finishes, or two sing simultaneously. The song can be heard several kilometres away; in Emas National Park
Emas National Park
The Emas National Park |Rhea]] National Park") is a national park and a UNESCO World Heritage Sitein the states of Goiás and Mato Grosso do Sul in Brazil.-Description:...
, Brazil, in 1981–1982, observers often heard four Red-legged Seriemas or groups singing at once.
The full song consists of three sections:
- Repeated single notes at constant pitch (1,200 to 1,300 HzHertzThe hertz is the SI unit of frequency defined as the number of cycles per second of a periodic phenomenon. One of its most common uses is the description of the sine wave, particularly those used in radio and audio applications....
) and duration but increasing tempo - Repeated two- or three-note subphrases of slightly higher pitch with increasing tempo
- Subphrases of up to 10 notes, shorter ones rising in pitch and longer ones falling, two-subphrase combinations increasing in number of notes and tempo and then decreasing in tempo.
Ecology
The Red-legged Seriema prefers grassland habitat to any other. Though it likes to inhabit lush meadows near rivers, it will not readily move into wetlandWetland
A wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with water either permanently or seasonally. Wetlands are categorised by their characteristic vegetation, which is adapted to these unique soil conditions....
s or crop
Crop
Crop may refer to:* Crop, a plant grown and harvested for agricultural use* Crop , part of the alimentary tract of some animals* Crop , a modified whip used in horseback riding or disciplining humans...
fields. It is usually seen singly or in pairs, but sometimes in groups up to four, apparently families. It typically walks on the ground and can easily run faster than a human in its habitat. It will flee a car on foot at speeds up to 25 km/h (15 mi/hr) before flying.
In one conflict between two birds, they jumped at each other feet-first, keeping their balance by flapping.
This species nests on the ground or in a bush or tree up to 3 m above the ground. In the latter case adults jump into the nest rather than fly.
External links
- Red-legged Seriema videos on the Internet Bird Collection
- Stamps (for UruguayUruguayUruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
) with RangeMap - Red-legged Seriema photo gallery
- Photo-High Res; Article geometer–"Brazil Birds"
