The Red-Legged Seriema (Cariama cristata) is a medium-sized bird. It is also called the Crested Cariama.

The Red-Legged Seriema has medium-brown feathers with black markings. It has a pale-brown head, neck and chest, with white on its underbelly. It has a long neck, long tail, and long red legs. Its beak is red and its eyes are yellow. It has soft feathers emerging from the base of its beak. Its tail has a black band near the tip, with a white band at the tip.

It measures 75-90 centimetres (30-35 inches) tall.

The Red-Legged Seriema is native to South America, from Brazil to Uruguay and Argentina.

The Red-Legged Seriema is terrestrial and prefers grasslands. It does not fly often, because it prefers to run along the ground. It can run faster than a human, with speeds up to 25 kilometres per hour.

It eats insects, grass, reptiles, and small mammals, such as mice.

It is seen alone, in pairs, or sometimes in small groups of up to four individuals. It nests on the ground, or in a bush. The female Red-Legged Seriema lays 2 eggs, which hatch after 25-30 days.

 

 

 

[Location of photographs: Paris Jardin du Plantes Zoo, France]

Photographer: Martina Nicolls

Martina Nicolls: SIMILAR BUT DIFFERENT IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM